BABY BOOKS WE LOVE

I know there's no age too young (or too old!) to start reading to your baby, but for me as a new mom, I was mostly focused on keeping him alive for the first three months, and less about his academic development. 

Now that he's three months old, a few things have happened: he's starting to have a more predictable nap schedule and semi-routine to his days, his attention span is growing, he's reaching for objects and he's distinguishing more colors visually. All these combined have made it a good time for me to start incorporating a few books into our play. There are so many great ones out there, and I'm sharing a few we love here.

A note on type: most of these featured are board books, with the except of two. I like board books as first books because the pages are thick and sturdy and can withstand drool, spit up, mouthing, etc, and I can let Trey play with them without worrying about them being ripped.

Your Baby's First Word Will Be Dada and Trucks. The Jimmy Fallon book is hilarious (he tried so hard, but his daughter's first word was...Mama!) and I really love the Trucks book right now for Trey. It was one of the first books I read to him, and the illustrations have cute, colorful drawings, paired with simple sentences. There's a few more in the Bryon Barton series that are cute for boys (or girls!): Trains, Boats, and Planes.

Hello World San Francisco and Good Night Seattle. Two cities I love, both represented in books here. It's so fun to have books with places that we will take Trey to someday, and these both feature common places to visit in each city.

Sophie the Giraffe Series. I like that the Sophie's Color's prompts asking and answering "What" questions (ie "What color are the strawberries? The strawberries are red") and that the Sophie teether can be a fun prop to pair the books with.

Inspirational Nursery Rhymes. A cute series for teaching values like thankfulness and responsibility. There's a line in one of these books that's perfect for Seattle kids: "I like when the days are sunny, but I always give thanks for the rain. Rain gives water to drink, so we never should complain."

Little Books Boxed Set. These are hilarious. They're backwards stories on common kid struggles: Little Pea is about a pea not wanting to eat his dinner (candy), but he has to finish it before he gets his favorite dessert (spinach). Little Oink and Little Hoot are also funny tales of having to clean rooms and go to bed. Available at Bitte Shop, I love their entire collection of kid's books.

Wherever You Are My Love Will Find You. If You Were My Bunny. Guess How Much I Love You. These three were gifted to us by friends and they are the sweetest, cry-while-reading, kinds of books.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Goodnight Moon. Brown Bear. Classics from my own childhood, perfect for language development.

The only non-board books on here, Press Here and The Wonderful Things You Will Be. Press Here is interactive, with these cute little dots that you tap, press, and shake, and is a great book for teaching comprehension, colors, following directions, and so many other concepts. The Wonderful Things You Will Be book is beautifully illustrated (think Rifle Paper Co for kids) with an encouraging and positive message. It was gifted to me by a friend who's a teacher and quickly became a favorite.

If you're looking for a great gift (or for your own kids!) a book subscription is an awesome way to get new titles. This one by BookRoo delivers three board books or two picture books monthly, and they're wrapped up as cute as can be. Use code BOOKROOLOVE for 10% off your first box.

Next on my list recommend by a friend: Home by Carson Ellis, Sara O'Leary books, Stephen Krensky books, Little Blue Truck, Not A Box. I'd love to hear your favorites as well in the comments!

Also remember to check your local library, they'll likely have most of these titles, and they often have a weekly storytime for kids and so many other great resources.

Shared in partnership with Bitte Shop, BookRoo, Sophie, and Inspirational Nursery Rhymes. Book picks are my own. 

ON WORK, NEW MOM LIFE, AND SELF-CARE

We're three months into this new motherhood season, and I'm learning so much. The biggest learning curve for me recently has been learning how to balance work life with mom life.

Since I work from home, the lines are so blurred. I heard someone describe entrepreneurship as a struggle between feeling like you're always working vs. never working. So relatable as a new mom. Am I doing too much/not enough/in what areas/what is my identity/who or what needs my attention right now/what ball am I currently dropping? I'm learning how to juggle it all in a new way, for sure.

One thing I'm learning is especially important for me right now is self-care. I think of the oxygen mask analogy on a plane, when the flight attendant says over the loudspeaker, "If you're traveling with someone who needs assistance, please secure your own mask first." I never really got that until now. But, duh.

I need to take care of myself first so that I can best take care of Trey.

One way that I am taking care of myself these days is remembering to EAT. It sounds insane, but some days I am racing around, trying to work and take care of him and DO IT ALL that I forget to feed myself.

This is a downward spiral.

If I'm running on empty, this ship will not sail, and by 4pm we will all be one crabby mess. A few easy snacks I'm loving lately: sliced turkey, veggies and hummus, chips and salsa, and peach Outshine Fruit Bars. I need sustenance, and I need it fast. Bonus points if I can eat it with one hand and Trey in my other.

With a newborn and a full time career, there isn't much margin or room for anything "extra" these days, unless I make it a priority. 

I'm choosing to make self-care a priority for me. It's just as important as my work and taking care of Trey. In fact, it's the building block that all the other hats I wear depend on.

How do you practice self-care? Would love to hear the ways that help you stay refueled so that you can pour out in your work and family life.

Shared in partnership with Outshine. Opinions are my own.

BABY'S FIRST COLD

Trey had his first cold last weekend, poor guy! I didn't even know babies could get colds at this age, and he wasn't even around anyone who was sick, but somehow he picked up a bug. He already seems better, but we chatted with our pediatrician just to be sure we were doing the right things. We heard there's really not much you can do for colds at this age besides helping them stay hydrated by breastfeeding often and watching for fevers, so we followed that, and he quickly improved. A few items that we used and were glad to have on hand:

1. Humidifier. The cool air, not hot air ones, are recommend to use while babies sleep to help with congestion. This one is quiet and sleek.

2. Thermometer. This ear design takes only one second to get a reading. Perfect for wiggly babies. Plus, there are no probe covers required and it syncs to your phone via bluetooth. The company also makes this Smart Stick, awesome for older kiddos age 4+ (and adults too) for a quick read orally or under the arm. Lots more info on their website here.

3. The Snot Sucker. The concept originally sounded so gross to me, but I'm a believer! It's totally sanitary and it works. It's awesome for clearing out stuffy tiny noses.

4. Essential Oils. I haven't really tapped into this yet, but I know people who swear by them as a natural remedy for a whole range of health issues for kids. Do you have experience with EOs? How do you use them on your babies?

Shared in partnership with Kinsa.