Thank you guys for the wonderful comments on the whole sleep issue. We’ve decided just not to push it anymore, since clearly she is not ready for the transition yet.  In deciding that, however, we were still left with the dilemma with what to do about her crib and climbing out.  And then, I got a glorious comment from Angel that mentioned the crib tent. (Thank you! You really are an Angel!)

This is totally the solution for us right now. It’s a win-win situation.  Savannah gets her beloved crib back, and we adults feel safe again with leaving her in there.   We bought one yesterday, but have yet to drag the crib back out of the attic and try everything out. I just can’t let her sleep in that hard port-a-crib for the next 6 months to a year until she’s ready for her bed. A girl deserves a proper bed, yes? And, added bonus, she can’t throw out her pacies when she gets mad at us for putting her to bed! Muahaha!

Oh, I hope this in the win-win solution I hope it will be! I’ll let you know. And again, thank you for all the suggestions! It helps just to simply know that we’re not alone.

Once again, I am confused as to why I even bother buying toys for our daughter.

For months I would wash out Savannah’s old food packages (you know, the very convenient plastic Gerber jars?) and save them in a bag for when ever they might come in handy. Eventually the bag got full, so it was on the floor ready to be packed up to take to my step Mom who works at a school that could use them. Well, they didn’t make it that far. Savannah found them and thoroughly enjoyed shaking the bag and dumping out the contents. And since then…it’s been on of her favorite things to play with (minus the bag).

Mark will stack them in a tower and she’ll tear them down, or dump them all over her much like the crazy people on movies do when they have a lot of cash. She loves to put stuff in them or put them into something bigger. They’re also quite fun to chew on apparently. And, it’s fun to make a huge mess by swishing her hands side to side, flinging them every where. Who needs fancy-smancy blocks! We have tupperware!
Seriously, who needs toys? Which, is why I’m asking everyone not to bring/send a toy for Savannah’s very soon 1st birthday. She has plenty already, and hardly uses them.

P.S. The picture above was taken when she was a very-sick-with-bronchitis little girl, which explains the huge sleepy bags under her eyes. Poor girl. Obviously, she kept her spirits up though.

I’ve found my new favorite thing and the answer to my prayers at feeding time.

Our problem?

1) Savannah has figured out how to take her velcro bib off whenever she pleases during her meal. Which, then leads to even more mess and a frustrated Mommy (or Grandma, or Daddy, who ever it may be!). We go around and around trying to keep that bib on!

2) Her feeding bibs, though stylish and easy to clean, were made of vinyl. Now, if you remember, there were several vinyl bibs recalled that were made in China. As far as we know, our bibs weren’t directly affected (or have yet to be tested since they were from Target rather than Toys “R” Us), but they are still made in China and with the ever-growing list of lead paint in China recalls, as parents, we worry.

And then, I stumbled upon this beauty, the Bibbity, while shopping for more freezer baby food storage. It still has the functionality of being able to just rinse/wipe off as with vinyl, it still has the cool “catch all” pocket at the bottom, it comes in neat colors (though, not as stylish as our vinyl polka dots and swirls), it easily rolls up for travel, and best of all, it’s lead free. It’s made in the USA, which, how often do you find a tag that says, “Made in USA,” anymore, hm? It’s VERY sturdy. I believe it when the web site says it’s the only bib I’ll ever need. And…the way the clasp is designed? Savannah cannot pull it off. She tried at first, but has given up, and thus, I’ve won the fight.

Also? It wasn’t expensive. About $5 for a bib that reuses it’s self over and over for years? I think that’s a good deal.

On a side note: Another wonderful product that helped us through those newborn days by this Company, Kiddopotamus (how cute is that name?!), was their SwaddleMe blanket. You know how babies love to be swaddled up tight, but yet some how seem to squirm out of our hard swaddling work?  Well, this blanket makes life easier, at least for us. With the use of velcro tabs and a variety of comfy, soft materials for any season, it was a must for us. It also provided me with a sense of comfort that I could wrap by baby up warm but not worry about it coming too loose and suffocating her.  We tried other brands, but they just didn’t work as well and easily came undone or holes were left where Savannah could quickly wiggle her way out.  They also were just not made as nicely, or as soft.

It seems Kiddopotamus is growing a name and awesome reputation for it’s self.  Just glancing at the other products within their website, their awards, their safety standards, I think they’ve got a good thing going. And, it makes life a little easier for us Moms.