These are a few of our favorite things...

A friend recently asked me what my favorite baby items are and I totally understand because I was CLUELESS before Briggs came along about what I needed, what I wanted, and what was totally useless!

MY TOP TEN LIST

1. Diapers & Wipes. I know this might seem extremely obvious.  However, I am so thankful to all the people who gave these as gifts preventing us from having to spend a fortune!!  We are still working through the stockpile and I only buy when there are good sales to keep up the stock!!
2. The boppy.  It's a must have for anyone who wants to breastfeed.  Early on it was easily the only baby accessory I needed.  We also love it for propping Briggs up on the couch, in the bed, on the floor.  It's a great tool and it's washable!!
3. Tank Tops.  This is another breast feeding thing and I am so thankful to Karen Neely for passing along her tops for me to use!  I did buy one extra and seriously, the Bravado brand is the BEST.  Expensive, but worth every penny!! 
4. Swing. Again we are using a hand-me-down here, but life wouldn't be the same without it.  This is where most naps are taken.  The songs it plays will be in my brain forever!
5. Bouncy/Vibrator Chair.  This is something that was given to me by the Davis family.  I remember before Briggs arrived, I kept looking at it in the box and thinking, "I have a swing, why do I need this? Aren't they the same thing?"  Boy was I wrong!!  Swings are for sleeping, chairs are for chilling!  
6. Play Mat.  The weekend I decided Briggs was ready for a play mat, I ran right out to BRU and spent $50 on his.  I kicked myself later thinking that was WAY too much.  His mat is worth every penny!!  Now, I do wish I would have had some forethought and bought a used one.  He loves his mat, great entertainment!!  The songs from this thing will be in my head forever too.
7. Waterproof pads.  You can buy these at  store and we use them under Briggs for every diaper change since we rarely change him on the changing table!  They have saved our bed and the couch from disaster many times!!
8. CoSleeper/Bassinet.  We don't "co-sleep", but that is what his bed is called.  I guess it's really a bassinet, or a small pack-n-play.  It is the perfect size for him and I cannot imagine not having him next to me from day one ... now I'm not so sure I'll ever be able to move him to his own room!!
9. Stroller. Now this seems obvious, but I am very specific about which one I LOVE!  The Baby Trend Snap N Go.  It is just a basic frame with wheels that our car seat snaps onto.  SO MUCH EASIER than the big contraptions I see moms fooling with.  Mom picked this up for me from a craiglist ad, money well spent on that one!!
10. Swaddles.  We followed the Happiest Baby on the Block book and I loved swaddling! Definitely be sure to grab at least one hospital blanket, but we outgrew ours quick ... so again THANKS to Karen we had a borrowed one from Swaddle Designs.  These are the ones to have from the start, for sure so just go ahead and get one.  (http://www.swaddledesigns.com)  They have great designs and the fabric is really nice.

Now beyond this point, I think all the rest of these items are pretty equal.

• Video Monitor.  We have only used this so far for naps and when we visit at the grands.  I already love it and I know I'll continue to love it when we move Briggs to his own room!  We have the Summer brand and it's been great.
• Waterproof Labels for daycare.  I stumbled upon these on Etsy and they are genius!!  Permanent marker rubs off of bottles quick and these are easy, cute, and inexpensive!! (http://www.etsy.com/shop/StickyMonkeyLabels?ref=seller_info)
• Car Seat Carrier Cushion.  Someone gave me a hand-me-down and I have purchased one for a friend since.  Just smart.  (http://www.etsy.com/transaction/62114135)
• Baby Bath Tub.  We are quickly approaching the point where we won't need this anymore, but from day one to now I can't imagine trying to bathe a slippery baby without it!
• Medela Pump In Style. Again another accessory for breast feeding.  I have a love/hate relationship with this pump which is the only reason it isn't in my TOP list!  Along with the pump, there are other pumping essentials such as bottles and bags.  
• Snot Sucker & Humidifier.  Bundling these two together because they were the absolute necessities for Briggs' first cold.  It's so sad to see your little one sick and I'm thankful to these items for giving him some sort of relief.  Be sure to steal the snot sucker from the hospital, the store bought ones are CRAP.  
• Sound Machine. Another Happiest Baby on the Block essential!  Friends of ours used a basic radio, but I love the softness of the sounds and it has a shut off timer.  I might need one for myself when we finally move Briggs to his own room!
• iPad. Go ahead and judge me!!  I know it is NOT a baby item, but I must say that I wouldn't have made it through maternity leave without it!!  The iPad is a must because it's small and you can operate it with one hand.

There are certainly other things we received and purchased that I absolutely love.  We have such amazing friends and family that have spoiled our little man to no end!!  We truly have not HAD to buy anything for Briggs.

5 months

Oh Briggs man, 5 months!!  This one is hitting me hard... you have grown up SO much in the last few months and I love all the new things we are discovering together, but I just want to freeze time before you go and get all grown up!!  With the 6mo birthday looming I just think it's all flying by way too fast!

5 mo (22 week) birthday picture

This has been quite an eventful month. You kicked the month off with your first daycare bug that managed to make its way through the house and even down to Summerville for Grammy and Gramps!  I am continually amazed what a great baby you are, even when you aren't feeling well!

My Valentine

My heart melted this month when I got my first valentine from you!  At school, they put you in the bouncy seat and then loaded your feet with red and pink paint so you could paint me a special valentine. The picture of you doing this is just the greatest, we all know you love to bounce and when you add wet paint to your feet it is just hilarious!!

The Artist

You are growing like a little weed.  Your arms and legs are working hard to catch up to the rest of your body, you've been wearing 6mo shirts for awhile, but are just beginning to fill out the 6mo pants.  We often have to roll the sleeves on your shirts so you can easily get those hands in your mouth without soaking your shirt.  I'm pretty certain  you are starting to get your first teeth as EVERYTHING goes into your mouth now!  Sometimes it's the ducky, your keys, your hands, our hands, the blanket, whatever is nearby and you can grab onto ... goes right in!

Teething

You are definitely getting stronger too!  You like sitting in your bumbo seat and still LOVE to stand up with those strong legs.  Daddy and you have created a maneuver we call the elevator ... when you are laying on the ottoman, you'll lock your legs out and then we can pull you up by your hands.  You've got quite a grip and I'm having to keep my hair and necklaces away from your little hands.  You like to reach out now and touch everything, our faces have been a fun discovery!!

Bumbo Seat

You recently have learned how to play peek-a-boo!  When you are standing on my lap, you'll lean your face forward into my chest and then pop back and laugh!!!  It is a definite indicator to me that you are getting sleepy, but it is really the sweetest thing!!  This video doesn't quite show peek-a-boo to it's fullest potential, but you seem to get a little camera shy!

You have lots of friends, so this past week we pulled on some cute overalls and your first pair of shoes to  have lunch with my officemates.  You and Caroline had quite a good time playing, she had lots of books for you and even shared her iPad so you could watch Elmo!

After lunch, we went up to my work so you could visit with everyone there!  You met lots of my students and you gave away a lot of smiles.  Which was all pretty exhausting!  

I love to watch you smile and it's even better when you laugh!!  Daddy and I both think your best smiles are first thing in the morning.  Some of my favorites are the first smile of the morning and the smile I get when I come to get you at school.  You are a ticklish little guy now, even though this wasn't our best tickle session, it's still fun to watch ...

There have been a lot of visitors lately at Hotel Briggs.  Grammy came when you were sick, your Pop and Uncle Rick have passed through, Granny Brenda and Grandaddy Bulletproof came for some sugar, and Aunt Krista popped in for some fun too!

Snotty Noses & Friends

I'm pretty sure the snotty nose came before the friends, so we'll tell the story that way.  Just hoping that we didn't give our snotty noses to our friends!!

So obviously the inevitable has happened ... Briggs has now gotten his first snotty nose from daycare.  It all started SuperBowl Sunday when I woke up with a sore throat and as the day wore on Briggs started showing signs of congestion.  Of course, Briggs has a little NY in his blood, so we wasn't going to let a little cold keep him from cheering on the NY Giants!!  Even if daddy wasn't pleased, we have to thank cousin Julie for the awesome shirt to remind him of his roots!!

Go Giants!

By the time Monday morning came around, Briggs was full blown sick.  He slept the majority of the day and was just pathetic.  Luckily we already had an appointment for his 4 month shots at 3pm, so I didn't have to feel like an over protective mommy.  Dr. Gamble checked him out and confirmed that he had a little cold and the coughing was coming from the drainage from his nose.  He also had a touch of fever, so no shots.  He told us to continue with the humidifier, Vicks vapor rub, some saline nose spray, and Briggs' favorite ... the snot sucker.  Dr. Gamble did all of the 4mo check up other than the shots.  So this go round Briggs' stats were ... 15.6 lbs, 25" long, 17" diameter on that cranium which puts him in the 50th percentile on everything.  Briggs and I promptly returned to our cozy recliner where we had literally spent the entire day cuddling ... torture, just pure torture.

Poor Sick Boy

Luckily, it wasn't too hard to twist Grammy's arm to come stay with Briggs!  (I think her bags were packed from the moment she heard the first sniffle.)  She drove up Monday afternoon and took over so we could go to work Tuesday and Wednesday.  By Wednesday, Briggs was dramatically better, but of course still super snotty and with a cough that gags him (and scares the crap out of us)!  Grammy and Briggs had a great day on Wednesday playing and discovering toys!!

Briggs loves his Ducky!

By Thursday morning it was time to return to reality, daycare, and work.  I discovered that they had been quite quiet at daycare that week with nearly everyone out sick.  One of the babies even had come down with RSV, so we are still a little nervous about that.  The girls in the nursery were great though and gave him all the extra cuddles he needed and continued with the humidifier and snot sucking!  Hopefully by next week they'll be germ free again!  And sorry Briggs ... gotta go back for shots next week.  Good job trying to dodge the bullet on that!!

Prior to discovering all this grossness, Briggs had some friends visit on Saturday. Kennedy and Charlotte (as well as their mommies) came for a visit!!  It was great to spend some time with girlfriends and both Briggs and I had an absolute blast watching Kennedy and Charlotte play!  I now know exactly why Briggs sleeps so well at school, he just watches kids play until he dozes off!  At home it requires quite a bit more effort on our part to get him down for naps.  Here's some videos of the girls playing!!

In this first video, Kennedy and Charlotte were running from the kitchen to the couch so that they didn't get eaten by the alligators in the water.  Future Swamp People??  Choot em!!

Not quite sure how this came to be, I believe Kennedy was saying that she had a magic horn (like a unicorn) so then she got down and shook it.  Of course, Charlotte had to show off her magic horn too!