Everett's First Haircut!

Everett's First Haircut!

I didn't want to do it. I did NOT want to take my baby son into a strange place and allow scissors anywhere near his beautiful brain, his precious eyes, his bunny-soft cheeks. Did not. Want to go. DID NOT.

Ugh, but husbands.

But my husband kept insisting. "His hair is in his eyes, Kristen." "He is going to be so sweaty this summer with all that hair." "It's going to be in his face when we go to the beach" - well sure. These are valid statements. Rooted in thoughtfulness and fact. But my opinion was rooted in EMOTION. Nobody touch my baby everrrrrr! Scissors?! Drat you! For even considering coming near him with SCISSORS! The devil's choice office supply.

He had these tender little curls. Right behind his ears. They were longer than the rest of his hair. Sure, you could say they were something like the wisps that Gollum kept in the back... but oh. They were so sweet. They were weirdly longer than the rest of his hair. It was like two pony tails at either ear and then a long party on top. Around the sides of his head all the hair had fallen out from sleeping on his back, and that was actually beginning to grow back really nicely. So yeah, he had some seriously uneven hair going.

I didn't mind it.

He didn't mind it.

HUSBANDS!

He won the argument. We went to his barber shop, a laid-back, no-frills place here in our town. We entered, and the glossy black and white checked floor immediately grabbed Everett's attention. Mesmerized, we sat and waited. He had no idea what he was in for.

But then he started to get a feeling. You know, when we put him in Daddy's lap in the huge weird chair. With a forward-facing cape. He was like WHAT.

Oh, let's just get to the photo journey, shall we?

He's thinking it's just a regular Saturday, pal-ing around with the rents.

Waiting. Though he doesn't know what for.

Those wisps. I melllllllt.

The final moment of length.

THE CHAIR.

He's all, "WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN ME INTO."

WHAT THE HECK, GUYS??

WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. This pic literally makes me cringe.

You've been chopped!

He wasn't so sure.

Oh Jerry. He did such a great job.

Everett got a certificate! And we got to keep a few clippings of his hair :)

And then. He decided he liked his new look.

Oh my sweet baby. I cried like 4 times in the barber shop. Along with him. But he did really great, other than the incessant screaming, and Jerry did the best of us all. He didn't let a hollering child (or his withering, weeping mother) throw of his groove. He just snip-snip-snipped and suddenly, my child was blonde. And a little boy. And STEVIE'S little boy. He officially looks exactly like his father.

We survived the first haircut. And I have to agree, it was a good choice. Now we are all spiffy and ready for the summer heat!

Love you, Mom.

Love you, Mom.

She woke up early to fix your breakfast before school. Fed you. Bathed you. Changed your dirty dirty diapers. Made a big whooping deal about your birthday. She was never upset when you woke her up because your tummy hurt. She laughed when you played dress up in her closet. She was always at your school play, your chorus concert, your big game. She came early to bring snacks. She helped with your homework, ordered pizza for you and your friends on Friday night, and let you go to that really awesome concert downtown. Because she trusted you. Although it didn't stop her from calling your cell phone A LOT. She took you shopping for prom dresses. She let you cry on her shoulder about that dumb boy who didn't deserve you anyway. She slipped a twenty in your hand when you were going back to college after being home for the weekend. She helped you move time and time again, coming behind you to clean the bathroom while the boxes were being transported to the truck. She let you travel the country, the world, and didn't let her worries about you being so far away affect her ability to let you go. But she sure did pray. She smiled through her tears on your wedding day. She held your hands while you were pregnant, answered every question when you asked "How bad is this gonna hurt??", and was by your side when you finally, exhausted, welcomed your wiggly, darling baby into the world. She was always, she is always, and will always always be there. For as long as she has breath in her body, she will give all her joy to your existence.

Okay, that was my mom.

But I bet yours was something like that, too. At least, I hope so.

This year is my first Mother's Day. I can't believe I'm allowed to be a mom. I can only hope to measure up in the tenderest way, because I have incredibly large mom shoes to fill. Well, not true. She has dainty little feet. But her footprint over the journey of my life has been immeasurable, innumerable with oodles and oodles of loving tracks. Inexplicable. She has given me her life's blood and her hearty Hungarian laugh. Her full cheeks and strong thighs. I am the mother that I am, because she was the mother that she was. I will probably screw up a lot, but she taught me that having grace for myself is one of the best gifts I can give to my family.

There is no perfect mother, but I would like to argue that she is. Close.

I hope you give mom your whole heart of love today.

A little more about my mom here.

6 Tips for Road Tripping With a Baby

Tips for Road Tripping With a Baby.

We took a family road trip this week down to St. Simons Island, Georgia. Stevie has a work conference, so Everett and I decided to tag along and enjoy a mini vacation somewhere that we've never been before. We are never ones to turn down a new adventure, especially when there is a beach involved. I'll post more about the trip next week, but I did want to go ahead and share a few things that have worked for road tripping with this little guy. He's only 9 months old, but he is developing into a lovely road trip companion. I'm sure there will come a day where he just won't tolerate sitting in his car seat for so long, but right now, we are able to convince him to ride along with us as we hit some drive-able destinations. I'm not saying he is perfect during the entire trip, but we have found some helpful hacks for coercing him to be a pleasant ride-along car buddy. In light of summertime and everyone's upcoming travels, I thought I would share what has worked for us.

1. Leave at the Crack of Dawn.

I learned this one the hard way. I left at 10am for a 7-hour road trip, and my little babe was awake for most of it. Which meant he was bored, which meant he was LOUD, which meant everyone in the car was exercising their patience. For the next road trip, I decided to leave at 5am, in hopes that he would sleep for a good portion of the trip. And that is indeed what happened. Hallelujah. Here's how the 7-hour trip broke down: I woke up at 4:30am and got myself dressed and ready. The car was already packed the night before. I gently woke him up, changed his diaper, kept him in his pjs and placed him in his car seat. I did all of this in the dark. I was on the road at 5am, and he slept for the first three hours of the drive. At 8am we stopped at a Starbucks, fed Everett in the parking lot, then grabbed a coffee and breakfast sandwich to go. He fell back asleep until about 10:30am or so, and I started handing him toys in the back. One by one. Which brings me to my next point...

2. Pack Toys. A Lot of Toys.

Pack more than you could ever imagine you would need. An obnoxious amount. Once the novelty of riding along in the car gets old, those toys are your lifeline. I purchased this set of toys specifically for roadtripping and it has proven to be a worthy investment. The other thing is, everything can be a toy! A plastic water bottle, toilet paper rolls, Styrofoam cup, plastic sunglasses, you name it! I've started passing the strangest things back there to him, and it amuses him for a bit. My kiddo is a curious soul. Why wouldn't he want to stare soulfully into my hat? Sure.

Gotta stop to feed and change. But these stops are actually kinda fun! LOOK AT MY BABYYYY.

3. Pack Travel Food.

I make Everett's baby food for whenever we eat at home (which is most of the time), but when we travel it's a different story. I admire those ladies who lug around their canisters of homemade blended baby purees - but I just cannot do it. I've tried and it's just too much mess to pack up and take home, to then clean up again later. No thanks. Not for me. I stock up on easy travel food when we hit the road, and Everett LOVES it. I think he feels like it's a special treat :) Our favorites are these by Earth's Best, these by Happy Baby and these by Plum Organics. He is also really loving his appetizers by Happy Baby :) (I've been reading that French parenting book that recommends feeding children in courses, so Everett gets fancy these days with his appetizers).

4. Pack More Clothes/Diapers/Wipes Than You Think You Will Need.

Some weird things have happened on our road trips. Some weird, weird things. Blowouts, showering urine, gassyness that leads to... solidness. I'll leave it at that. But I always pack Everett THREE changes of clothes when we go anywhere. Three. Yes. Three.

5. Budget Extra Travel Time.

The days of blazing down the road, NO STOPS, is over. Man, me and Stevie used to tear up some mileage on road trips. I reminisced about my favorite all-time road trip with him the other day, when we used to drive from before the sun was up until late in the night. Those days. Are over. In the new era, with a baby and gear and breastfeeding breaks and diaper change breaks and YOU NAME IT breaks, we stop often. There's just no way around it. So budgeting extra travel time is a must, especially if you're super type-A and you like to "race" your Googlemaps estimate. Not like my husband does that or anything. Needless to say, we've had to make some expectation adjustments.

Sleeping baby. Makes for a very happy mommy.

6. Enjoy it!

This is so important. I'm continuously learning about how much life has changed with Everett's arrival in my world, and everything is truly, infinitely better with him. It is. Everything is also really truly different. Vacations look different, my idea of rest looks different, and certainly the way I roadtrip is so so different. But he is also so much fun, and I find myself staring at him wondering what I was doing with my life before he came along. Like, why did I wait so long to have him?? Well, actually, I know the answer to that. But still! My baby is the best. So grateful that I can take him along for journeys and adventures!

And bonus tip - Coldplay does wonders for putting a baby to sleep in the car. THAT CHRIS MARTIN. Okay, there it is, folks. All my road trip tricks in a nutshell. For all of you planning to road trip and travel this summer, I hope this helps!

Teething: The 7 Must Haves!

Teething: The 7 Must Haves by oykristen

The 7 Teething Products You Must Have for your Baby!

We have been in teething land up in here. For those of you who aren't familiar with teething, it's pretty much when your child turns into the hulk. They scream. They cry.  They don't sleep. They're inconsolable. And they gnaw, chew and drool on everything in sight. It's fun times people. Fun times. Everett sprouted his two lower teeth with a day of each other, so he was in significant discomfort in the days and weeks leading up to that epic milestone. He's currently working on breaking his top teeth in, and we are once again, in the throws of hulk-land. Poor baby. Poor me. Seriously... poor me.

A few products that have helped us ride out the storm:

1. Hylands Teething Tablets.

When he's teething, I make sure to give these Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets to him as recommended on the bottle. Especially at night! I want him to have all the possible resources to sleep well, and these tend to knock him out. They're all-natural, and I did a bit of research on the ingredients, so I don't feel weird about giving them to him.

2. Hylands Teething Gel.

Along with the teething tablets, I rub this Hyland's Teething Gel on his gums when he's really in pain. I find this product a little bit more challenging to use, because it's hard to actually get the gel onto his gums (and he immediately licks it off, which... is that good??) but I try nonetheless because it seems to help him calm down. After the wiggling, squealing, and licking off of the gel.

3. Amber Teething Necklace.

Yes, my baby son wears a necklace. This Amber Crown Teething Necklace to be exact. And he looks spectacular in it. He might get mistaken for being a girl from time to time, but it doesn't matter to me because that just means he's cute. No seriously, this necklace has been a lifesaver. When he's really in pain, he acts out by being fussy and wriggly and uncontrollable. Within twenty minutes of wearing this necklace, he's back to his happy self, laughing and interacting and playing. Apparently, the stone amber has anti-inflammatory properties which, when worn against the skin, helps to soothe the pain of teething. Yes, sounds hippie-dippy, I know. But sometimes that crazy hippie stuff works!

4. Honest Company Baby Teether.

This Honest Baby Teether is a great chew toy for your little rascal, since it's made of non-toxic silicone and has "handles" made by the shape of the butterfly wings. It's easy for the baby to hold and gnaw on, and I personally like that I can link his little pacifier clip around it and clip it to his clothes. That way we aren't constantly bending over to pick up his teether (which he inevitably drops like 50 times in a 20-minute gnaw session).

5. Munchkin Feeder.

Another great option for the miserable baby is this Munchkin Fresh Food Feeder. It's great because you can put a frozen piece of fruit or even ice into the mesh, click it in the feeder, and the baby can safely gum on it until is dissolves. My only qualm with this is that, depending on what you put in it, things can get messy like, lightning fast. But if you don't mind a sticky (though happy!) baby, then go for it.

6. Chew Toys.

Sophie the Giraffe is obviously the famous little French teething toy that practically every mom-to-be receives at a baby shower. We were no exception, and this has been a great teether for Everett to chew chew chew on. However, I recently found this this similar toy at Target, and it's been the biggest hit! I think because it's got some good ears to chew on.

7. Baby Tylenol.

Okay, I loathe the idea of giving my child drugs. I really really really try to avoid it at all cost. But we had one day where my sweet boy was just out of control by the pain of his teeth-to-be, and I exhausted all the above options. I also did my best to distract him by feeding, playing, rocking, reading, going for a walk outside... nothing worked! I finally gave in and gave him a bit of Infant Tylenol and within about 15 minutes, he had definitely calmed down. And within about 30 minutes he finally fell asleep. He had just cried himself silly and I think this calmed him down enough to where he could finally rest. Like I said, I don't love resorting to drugs, but this is the reason why we have them. I certainly don't want him to be in pain!

Other items I haven't tried (but I've heard good things about!):

Teething Necklace for Mom.

A friend of mine told me her son loved gnawing on this Silicone Teething Necklace. I've also heard good things about this one. It's a cute item that you can wear to match your outfit, but is safe for your child to have in his mouth. I'll admit, there are many times where I will let Everett chew on my chunky statement necklaces because they are relief for him, and when we're in public places (like church!) that activity keeps him contented and quiet. I do sort of get nervous about something breaking off in his mouth though, so this would probably be a good purchase for me to make!

Sterling Silver Teether.

It sounds fancy, because it is. We don't have one of these, but I've heard the silver feels really good on a baby's gums, because of, ya know, IT'S SILVER. Cold metal and whatnot. Some kids are really living, you know what I mean?

Mamas, any other items that have you helped your little one survive the awfulness of teething? Do share!

Easter Recap.

Easter Sunday.

What a joy it was to celebrate Easter as a family of three. Observing the cornerstone event of my faith, the divine resurrection of Jesus Christ, and sharing that exciting truth with my son, well, that pretty much takes the cake. Stevie and I had so much fun putting together Everett's Easter basket, getting him dressed up for church, and playing with him throughout the day that we completely failed at taking a family photo. Who does that?? Well, us apparently. We just took endless pictures of our little man discovering Easter eggs and, you know, chewing on them. Oh well. I tend to over-photograph our life in general, so while we might not have a ton of family pics from his first Easter, we have plenty of them from the day before and the day after.

This was our first Easter at home with family in many years. The past few years we've been in Boston and New York, so Easter has been an extremely chilly, friend-oriented holiday. We are grateful for so many unique Easter experiences, but this year with Everett was the best yet. It was just so much fun, introducing him to the traditions of the celebration, and even though he's not fully grasping it yet, it's just the beginning!

A Tisket, a Tasket.

I might have overdone it on the Easter basket. Well, it wasn't an Easter basket as much as it was a piece of luggage, his own little luggage bag! We are doing a good bit of traveling over the next few months, and I can't keep stuffing his goods into sticky Trader Joes tote bags. His bounty floweth over. And so of course, the bag just had a few goodies inside, MOSTLY NEEDS, like a bathing suit and sun hat and swim diapers. And a toy. And a book. And maybe some new shoes. I MIGHT BE OUT OF CONTROL.

We had so much fun, worshiping at church and then having lunch with family. And then egg hunting with cousins! And then crying a good bit. It's okay, it's an emotional day for all of us, Everett. 

I hope you all enjoyed your Easter as much as we did!