Jumper: H&M | Abacus: IKEA | Bow: Etsy

 

Good morning! 

Well, we are halfway through the first week of this year and it kind of feels great. I am hopeful this new year will be more positive than the last and we also have a few fun things planned. Tomorrow is Trevor’s birthday and we are going out to dinner for the first time in a very long time. 

I made reservations for 8pm so we could get the kids down and then my mom is coming over to hang out while we go. We are still not comfortable eating indoors hence why we haven’t been out in so long but we are headed to Barn8 and I am thrilled! It is located on Hermitage Farm and I believe opened right before Covid hit but is essentially the perfect restaurant during a pandemic. Each dining area is individual and in revamped barn stalls so you essentially have your own little dining area. The menu is always changing but looks amazing and they have a huge bourbon selection which if you know Trevor will make him very happy.

I am genuinely looking forward to getting dressed up and enjoying a night out with my husband! I guess a silver lining to this past year is having a lot more appreciation for these little things. 

As for today, I am sharing a little update on Zahra! She turned six months a couple weeks ago and we have had quite a few changes around here. If I missed anything you are curious about  just leave me a note!

 

 

Are you still pumping? 

 

I am not still pumping and have completely weaned from breastfeeding. Exclusively pumping was very challenging while being home with both kids and trying to work. I began weaning around Month 5 and it took about two weeks. I started incorporating formula more, first by mixing it with breastmilk and then by alternating bottles of each. She tolerated both well thankfully and has never had an issue with bottles. I then started cutting out pumps and this went fairly quickly for me. I cut out a mid-morning pump first and then tried to push the times between pumps. There were a few times I was trying to hold out and would need to pump to relieve myself but overall it went fairly smoothly. By week two I was able to stop completely. 

I’ve discussed this before but everyone has a different relationship with breastfeeding. I truly believe fed is best and whatever schedule works for you as a mom, works for your family. I have chatted with a few of you via DM and I always encourage women to do what works for them. I think it’s important to remove the guilt from ourselves. If breastfeeding works for you, great! If it doesn’t and you don’t want to do it, great! 

Your baby will be loved and happy no matter how you chose to feed them. I think the mental health of mothers is something that is so often overlooked and yet so important.

 

What is she eating? 

 

At Zahra’s 4 month checkup her doctor told us we could start solids which kind of took me by surprise. We weren’t given the go ahead with Zain till 6 months so I guess I just wasn’t expecting it! I decided to start slow and see how she did but girl loves to eat and was very interested in our food. 

Fruits and veggies were first on the list and all she was allowed to start so I decided to try Yumi. I have no time to make baby food nor do I wish to spend time doing that so this was a great option. I love the concept and she enjoyed all the food it was just too much for us! Since the purees are fresh they can only be kept for a short period of time and she just wasn’t eating enough for us to really use it all. I now just buy the organic pouches from Whole Foods and she has loved those too!

I will also say, we don’t feed her at every meal or even close to that. I remember with Zain we did Baby Led Weaning and every time he ate it was such a big deal! I now have to remind myself to feed her food everyday, second child problems 😉

I aim to always do food in the evening when she wakes up from her cat nap and we are all eating as well. She loves to sit at the table with us and it’s super sweet! We purchased the same  high chair Zain has and can not recommend it enough. It is a bit pricey but it transitions with kids (Zain still uses it), is so easy to clean and wipe down and is low profile. The most important part for us is that it can be used at the dining table with us. Zain always wanted to be a part of our meals and having him at a high chair off to the side would have not made him happy. She also uses this bib and these spoons and has seemed to like both!

At her most recent checkup they said we could start to incorporate peanuts and peanut butter so we will be trying that soon too!

 

 

What is her sleep schedule and Zain’s? 

 

First off, Zahra’s sleep patterns are amazing and I’m not sure we had anything to do with it. I’ve said it before but she is just naturally an easy baby. We sleep trained Zain and would with Zahra should she need it but so far it’s been smooth sailing. I shared more of what we did the first few months to get her on a schedule here and I do think our day to night changes helped a lot!

 

Zahra’s Schedule:

7-7:30: Wake time

9am: Nap – this is her longest and best nap of the day, usually 2 hours.

11ish: Wake, Play, Eat

1pm: Nap 

2:30pm: Wake, Play, Eat

4:30: Nap – this is just a short cat nap and sometimes she just lays around and talks.

5:15: Wake, Play, Eat

6:00: Bath, Books, Bottle

7:00: Bedtime

 

There is obviously variation in this during the day but her bedtime and wake time are almost always the same. She started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks and despite a few off nights she has since been pretty consistent.

 

Zain’s Schedule: 

7:15 – His Hatch light goes off signaling he can come out of his room. You can read more about how we implemented that here! He usually wakes up between 630 and 7am and will just talk to himself and lay in bed. We got him this nightlight for Christmas and it makes it easier for him to see and play around in his room in the morning!

Noon: Lunch

1-3pm: Nap – I would say he actually takes a nap maybe 1 out of every 3 days now but he knows ‘Quiet Time’ is a must. He can play in his room, read books or whatever else interests him but it’s crucial for us both. When he comes out usually depends on Zahra. Their bedrooms are right across from each other so whenever she wakes up and I go to get her is when he come down too!

6pm: Dinnertime 

6:30pm: Bathtime, Books

7:00pm: Bedtime

 

I try to time their wake/nap/sleep times together and it’s worked fairly well so far! 

 

 

What is she sleeping in? 

She has been in a sleep sack since she grew out of the Ollie Swaddle (which we LOVED) essentially. We attempted a few things in between but figured we would just get the transition over with and she’s done fine. 

 

Favorite products?

 

• Dr.Brown’s bottles: we are solely using these now and haven’t had any issues at all!

 

• Drying Rack: since we use so many bottles and have my pumping gear I ordered this drying rack and have been liking it much more than the grass one we had previously. 

 

• Sleep Sack: What she uses every night!

 

• Organic Bibs: I ordered these on Prime Day since she has been drooling so much and LOVE them. Some of the bibs I had from Zain were too thin and these actually soak up the moisture so her clothes don’t get wet. 

 

• Burp cloths: these snap in the back and are thick enough to actually soak up spit up!

 

• Zutano Booties: These are amazing and life changing! Never come off, look so cute and cozy and are really all I have her put her in. I already have the next size up and they come in tons of colors, sherpa texture and fleece. 

 

• Sit Up Bath Seat: We love this thing! Ever since she started sitting up this has been crucial. We attached it to the back part of our tub and now her and Zain can take a bath together and they love it! It’s fairly easy to wash her while she’s sitting in it and then I always do a once over when it’s time to get out and rinse her off!

 

• Baby Jogger City GO Car Seat: This is the new super lightweight car seat we got for Zahra! It is compatible with our entire stroller system so made sense and safety features and low profile made it perfect for us. 

 

• Maty’s Multipurpose Ointment: We are huge fans of the brand and have been using the chest rub and syrup’s with Zain forever. This was a new find for me and has replaced out other petroleum based ointments!

 

• Skip Hop Activity Center: We have had this for years and bought it back when Zain was starting to sit up. It is so worth the investment and I can not tell you how many times a day I use it. It’s also really easy to clean since all the parts snap on and off and turns into a table when the seat is no longer needed. 

 

• Owlet and Owlet Camera: We have the combo and love that it’s all connected so we can see her readings on our phones from anywhere. We used the Owlet with Zain and it was a total must for us. 

 

• Frida Baby Humidifier with Diffuser & Nightlight: We have already started using this and love how it’s multipurpose. These drops were great when she was congested!

 

• Bibs Pacifiers: I bought a 4 pack of these before she was born and it’s all she has used. 

 

• Lovevery Playmat: We just got this a few weeks ago and are obsessed with it! She enjoys it so much and I love how it’s designed for their development. Can’t recommend it enough! 

 

I also try to save most of our frequently used items to my Amazon storefront. There is a tab labeled ‘Zahra’s Things’ that has everything!

 

Recent buys for her? 

 

Baby Gap, H&M and Janie and Jack are my go to’s for her and I just stocked up on some stuff for fall & winter. Although Target is one of my favorite places to shop for Zain I don’t find a ton of girl’s clothes there. Rounded up a few of my favorites for fall below: