Can I just say, first off, how happy I am that the only moving going on at this point is by my little children and doesn’t include any moving trucks, unloading of furniture or unpacking of boxes?
We drove in on Monday evening of last week and our girls didn’t get back in the car until Wednesday morning. It seemed safer that way – I feared a full-scale baby rebellion.
Obviously, we drove to Target. (By the way, I spent YEARS thinking, “Why is everyone so into Target? I don’t get it.” Then I had children. And I totally, totally get it.)
We stocked up on all the essentials. By which I mean diapers.
And hangers (how is it possible that you never can have enough hangers? Did we leave a trail of hangers all the way from Austin to Durham?). We had a coupon for the diapers ($2 off!), but sadly, no coupons for the hangers.
Ani seems to have embraced the extra room in our house by becoming, overnight, an extremely wiggly baby. For a baby who can’t crawl yet, she is all over the place. Diaper changes are the absolute worst, because I keep all the diapers in a basket, and she seems CONVINCED that there is something amazing hiding in that basket (it’s just diapers! I promise!)
With regular diapers, I end up with a diaper that is SUPER tight on one side and crazy loose on the other side (tell me I’m not the only one who does this). These ones? Way easier. They slip right on and then, when it’s time for a diaper change, the sides tear right off.
When Ella saw these diapers she said, “These diapers are AWESOME. Are they like underwear?” She was beside herself with joy when I let her wear one to bed (she’s toilet-trained, but I’m still too much of a wimp to let her wear underwear through the night and, yes, both my three-year-old (her birthday is today!) and my seven-month-old wear the same size of diapers. Not a leak from either of them).
We’re keeping the wiggling at bay by getting outside a lot. This neighborhood is beautiful – there’s a great little park just around the corner, and there are plenty of dogs out for walks in the evening, which makes Ella super happy. Plus, the weather isn’t quite as hot as Texas.
Elaine says
Looks like a beautiful neighborhood. A very Happy Birthday to you, Ella:-)!
RA says
Happy birthday, Ella!
And blarg, Rafflecopter. I can't do these at work, so I flag them in Feedly to do later, and then I never do. Not that this is your fault, I'm just saying: blarg, Rafflecopter.
Lauro says
The flapping stage is the funniest stage of baby mobility!! Baby wants to crawl so badly, but all she can do is fly in place on the ground! 🙂
Andrea Smith says
Seriously, I don't know if I would want to move. That is seriously such gorgeous scenery! Fall is going to be absolutely beautiful! Happy Birthday to that little girl today, I can't believe she is 3!
Sweetened Style says
Ani's little facial expressions are so cute! I don't have kids, but the baby I nanny just started to sit up on her own and it's pretty darn cute.
Jenn says
My baby is 4.5 months old and I'm loving this stage. She's just put together rolling so she has figured out how to roll to things and her arms are flailing around when she gets excited. It's super cute!
Happy Birthday to Ella!
preethi says
Oh, Target, my home-away-from-home. Happy birthday, Ella!
preethi says
Oops – hit publish before sharing my favorite stage. I love the clapping and reaching out, but also adore the arm flapping, as someone else mentioned.
Jessica says
I love the first stages of walking, SOO funny with all the bum falling.
jessicarwarfield at gmail dot com
The Maughan-sters says
I hate diaper changing! Lol I love when they first start to vocalize things. its adorable!
Katie says
The neighborhood looks lovely! My daughter is potty-trained, but we still put her in a diaper at night. I started out using pull-ups, but she had a bad allergic reaction. Then I found Huggies slip on diapers, and they work great. I just wish they came in a size 6!
Mami2jcn says
I love the crawling stage.
Juliana says
I love the walking stage, they are teetering all over like they are going to crash at any moment!
Leslie says
Happy Birthday, Ella! I'm no good at favorites, but I sometimes miss the pre-mobility days.
Angiegirl says
My favorite stage is scooting (if it happens). My daughter scooted everywhere as quick as greased lightning. Never did crawl, just stood up and walked when she was ready. I still miss the scooting. And all the worn out seats of her pants . . .
Shelby Meyer says
Does the early running stage count? My daughter has been starting to run, and it is hilarious! Her arms go everywhere and I'm pretty sure she bounces up in the air higher than she goes forward. Thankfully she isn't fast enough to be a problem…yet.
Brynn says
I'm not a mom yet, but I have spent tons of time with babies (my mom did daycare in our home and I worked at a childcare center for four years). My absolute favorite stage is right when they start walking and are all wobbly and tentative about their footing. The way their little arms flap around is adorable!!
brynnash [at] gmail [dot] com
Tessa W says
No babies around here yet (or anytime soon) but I think it is adorable when they first start scooting around on the floor
heidikins says
Oh my, your street is just lovely!
xox
Jessica Pieper says
Is it weird that I feel obligated to love the current stage of my toddler for fear of cheating on him? So of course my favorite stage is the "running everywhere, especially away from mom" stage. So fun!
Also, thanks for the heads up about Vegas. I'm moving there in a few weeks and now I will be prepared for the lack of prettiness.
Stephanie says
I love the stage of pulling up to furniture and walking along it. They can get themselves vertical and seeing everyone, which makes them happy, but they can't move fast enough to get into something before you move it (well…most of the time, anyway).
Melanie says
The neighborhood looks so lovely! I just love Ani's face in that second picture.
Emily says
I love watching toddlers run. They're so free and entertaining (kind of like Phoebe on Friends).
Love the neighborhood shot too–enjoy!
Kara says
Your girls are too adorable! Every picture you post just makes me smile all over, kind of like Ani in that last photo. 😉
Erica says
have i mentioned how much i love ani's red hair? and that you are on the east coast? woo-hoo for tall, green trees!
Erica says
oh, and i love it when babies first learn to walk and they stick their bums out and have little t-rex arms as they toddle about. too precious!
Caitlyn says
I love when they first learn to walk!
Alyssa says
I love the pictures of your daughters together. Too cute!
alli says
Yes, Target is my happy place (but it was before I had kids too).
I have two favorite stages: the pre-crawling, lift themselves off the ground in push-up position stage and when they're first learning to walk and have the wide-legged stance.
Wren says
I am also moving closer to a Target within two weeks. Diaper palace!
My baby is too young to be crawling just yet, but I like watching her face concentrate when she tries to move forward.
Glad you like your new home!
Michael and Tasha says
She and my three-month-old have identical adorable hairlines. We call our favorite stage the seal stage – when they can push up really well on their upper bodies, and then rock down on their tummies. Chubby, rocking babies make me squeal.
joelleseldon says
My little one hasn't shown up yet (early September) so I think I'm going to go with the crazy flips that this kid is performing in my stomach.
Jenn says
North Carolina is by far the prettiest place I've lived, too. Love it there! I love the Utah mountains, but for some reason, whenever I go back to visit, I think "hmm…this is much browner than I remember."
Chrissie says
I thought I was supposed to comment in the rafflecopter thing…don't know if it went through. Just wanted to say I love the stage my 15-month-old is at. Walking, but not fast enough to escape me. 🙂
Cathy says
I don't know either if I was supposed to comment on the rafflecopter either, but my favorite stage is when my babies roll all over the place, but aren't big enough to crawl. 🙂
G says
That neighborhood does look gorgeous! Good luck to you. If you want my brutal honesty, my favorite stage of baby mobility is the stage when they mobilize themselves right out of being babies and into being interesting little people that talk and wipe their own butts.
kristi says
A very happy birthday to Ella! And welcome to NC!
Elena says
I like the first steps stage
Heather Panjon says
I Love The Learning To Walk Stage, Adventure And Exploring!:)
Entry Name- Heather Hayes Panjon
KT says
My bug just started "running" and I have to say watching his whole body shake has he tries to hustle somewhere never fails to make me smile. Pretty much every stage of his mobility has been my favorite though.
I love Ani's red hair, so pretty! Have fun exploring NC. It looks gorgeous
Kristin Reichert says
I love every stage for their own reasons, but for some reason I really love the rolling over because it marks the beginning of the new and big changes. My daughter was also just DYING of boredom until she finally started rolling and could explore a bit more. Miss you guys!
Elizabeth W says
I total understand the wiggy stage. My son just turned 7 mo and just started doing that every time we change his diaper.
JC says
I like walking stage among all.
Clearbluewater3 says
i love the wiggly stage. just love me a wiggle worm!
Elaine says
right now, i like his mumbling and smiling stage. 🙂
Janelle says
I love the scooting phase, before they figure out the whole forward motion. You can tell they want to move forward, but they just can't quite figure it out. And they get themselves stuck in some pretty adorable places.
S says
My daughter is two months, so I love following Ani's development and getting excited about what my little girl might be like soon :).
I love it when babies are just starting to toddle around. Super adorable as they wobble around!
-Sandy
C says
I love it when babies start to sit up! Then they start to be more engaged with everyone around them, and it is so great!
runtspickins says
Hm… I am due in January and maybe I will give these slip on diapers a try! =]
Runt
runtspickins@yahoo.com
http://www.runtspickins.wordpress.com
Laura Crowther says
I love it when they start to crawl – mostly because mine can't move and whines constantly!!
Sarah says
Sitting up. They're just so happy to be doing something new. It's adorable.
rachel says
Babies are so cute when they desperately want to crawl or walk…but just can't quite yet. 🙂
Sarah S. says
Does hugging count 🙂
And BTW… didn't I tell you how GORGEOUS it is there, your neighborhood looks amazing.
Jenny says
i love EVERY age… babies, three year olds and 22 year olds. Each age brings something new to marvel at.
🙂
Aubrey Laine says
I love the wobbly stage!
jpetroroy says
Yay! So glad you're happy. I love where we are now, starting to run all the time 🙂
Magdalena says
I don't have any kids of my own yet, but I really enjoyed it when my friend's little boy was at the crawling/almost walking stage. Except that he never actually crawled. Instead he just sat on his butt and scooted around using his heels as propulsion before progressing straight to walking. Cutest thing ever watching him scoot around my kitchen trying to pet my cat who kept moving away.
independent mami says
My daughter is a runner. She is 20 months now. She thinks she is going on 20 yrs old. She has no care if she falls or is gonna get hurt. She is a tomboy.
Becca says
Ani's pouty face. I die.
So, so happy that you guys are loving your new place.
Becca says
Also, Target? We go weekly (occasionally bi-weekly). T has started saying, "No Target" when I tell him where we're going.
Mrs Gray says
I love when they glide around the room stretching between each piece of furniture.
SS says
I love when they can walk without holding on to anything but it's still so wobbly and cautious. I also love when babies discover their feet.
kellyr78 says
My favorite stage is when they can finally crawl to toys they want.
kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom
Pointe Dancing Mama says
I love when they first start to walk and their legs are wiggly. So cute and so exciting!
ccr in MA says
I kind of like the pre-mobile stage the best. I'm a fan of the first few months most of all!
Tabathia says
I love it when they start crawling and unsure if they should scoot, crawl on hands and knees or use their hands and feet
Bookworm1919 says
I love when they start being able to sit by themselves. That sort of wide-eyed swaying before they topple over cracks me up!
Tacy says
I don't actually have a baby myself…but my favorite state with my niece was when she started to walk and her chubby little legs were toddling around the house. So cute!
Amanda says
I don't have any kids, but I do love Target! 🙂 I really like to hold brand-new babies, though. It's easier for me to hold them when they're super still and don't need to be constantly entertained.
Amy Johnson says
Ha! I was going to say I prefer for them not to be mobile, but I guess that's not really true. It does make life harder though. I do like it when they can navigate stairs on their own.
I'm glad your move went well!
Kimberly says
My favorite stage of mobility is two- does that still count as baby? She's finally stable enough that I don't worry about her going up or down the stairs on her own, and we have finally packed away the baby gate. Such a relief! Congrats on moving to Durham- we live nearby in Hillsborough. It's a great area!!
heather says
My youngest just started taking his first steps… but my favorite way he gets around is his bear crawl. He is super fast and get where he wants to go without toching his arms or legs on the cold ground or prickly grass.
kimmie says
I don't know if I have a favortie stage of baby mobility. I liked when I could just lay her down and then leave the room and come back to her being in the exact same spot!
But lately, I've been loving that my 1 year old can walk around by herself and she's aware of her surroundings and where she can go and where she can't go, so I don't have to constantly supervise her (we don't have a baby gate on our stairs, tsk tsk, and her room and the playroom are literally right at the top of the stairs, no falls down the stairs yet for either kid though, knock on wood). She has been trying to test her limits though, such as standing while holding the stair railing in one hand and hovering her foot over the open space above the stair (she has yet to try to take a step down), and climbing on the couch and onto the low tables (with other toys as step stools) so I'm guessing that she's going to be one adventurous little girl. My favorite though, is when the babies can learn to safely go down the stairs by themselves so I don't have to constantly worry. I guess I could just install a baby gate but they've gone so long without one anyway.
Erin G. says
I don't have any kids of my own but I love brand new babies- just perfect 🙂
polly says
I love when they first start to walk…it is the cutest to watch!
Brit says
Just recently had my second child and totally understand the lopsidedness of putting a diaper on. I am apparently out of practice (oldest is potty-trained) and have had a couple accidents already and he is only a week old!
Mandy says
I don't know if it was really my favorite since once they start moving nothing is ever the same, but I liked the scooting. My daughter would scoot herself backwards. It was funny seeing where she would end up!
Krissy says
Ah, Target! My home away from home! Also, your girls are just darling!! 🙂
mel says
Best wishes for your new home!
Jen B. says
You're asking at a terrible 3s time.. so I would say newborn. When they let me cuddle with them and not go running around slamming every door they can 🙂
LauraJJ says
Oh my favorite stage is when they learn to crawl! So precious how they rock back and forth as they learn! My favorite time!
♡♥♬ Carolsue ♡♥♬ says
My favorite time is when they take their first unsteady steps. So cute.
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
Cheryl says
I love when they stand there rocking to get going when they first learn to walk.
J. says
Looking back on it, the days where they couldn't move were the easiest!! But I love that my daughter can now walk around and explore the world. It's so much fun to see her learn and grow.
Teresa Young says
My favorite stage of baby mobility is when they can sit up – it's so fun to get down on the floor & play with them, usually by handing toys back & forth.
RA says
Uh, just coming back to do the Rafflecopter part of this and noticed that there was a prompt for the comment… oops. I guess I prefer when babies are nice, still newborns. Is that awful? It's so much less stress-inducing!
Annastacia says
I love it when they learn to run, my son was so excited and happy and still is every time he runs fast 🙂
Rhi says
I love the newly mobile baby. Slightly wobbly and not scaling the sofa yet. 🙂
Melinda says
What the heck J?!!? I'm melting with these pics of your darlings!!!!
Meghan says
NC is pretty. I remember when Matt interviewed there for medical school andhe came home saying "everything is sooo green." Having grown up on the east coast it never dawned on me how green everything is and how that would see so different to people from the west. Ani is getting so big. Cute girls!