Ok, so we’ve been using this for some time now and well, I’ve got to tell you – honestly, this is probably my #1 favorite item of Nuby! I mean, what’s not to love about it? Finally, a suction base that really sticks – even to woodgrain/textured table tops like ours!

When I heard about this product I thought immediately, “yeh, I’ll give a try” especially since we do BLW (starting around six months) and with BLW comes a lot of mess and the last thing I need on the ground is the whole bowl/plate itself with all the contents on the floor as well. However I am not one to be easily convinced, especially with a baby girl that has yet to find a suctioned bowl or plate she couldn’t easily rip off the table and throw to the ground. For some reason when our littlest Penelope sees a bowl/plate in front of her, her instinctual actions always has her pouring the contents of said bowl/plate over her face (trying to get it in her mouth and only to succeed maybe 10% of the time, if that). I find that the problem with MOST of these suctioned bowls/plates is the actual base itself. The suctioned part of the product only covers a small area of the actual size of the bowl/plate leaving little hands to easily grab the largest part and yank off (especially easy when the suctioned part barely sticks to the wood grain/textured tabletop like ours).

The Nuby Sure Grip Miracle Mat Suction Plate however covers a wider area, well over the actual bowl size. The (whole) plate itself is made of 100% silicone, BPA free, with super gripping action and a built in suction grip that easily seals to tabletops. Unlike other mats this one is thinner than most  of the better gripping action mats but not as thin as the flimsy counterparts, better yet, this one has the bowls attached! My first thought upon receiving this mat is that it seemed kind of small, but once food was placed into the bowl I realized it was perfect size for baby’s portion control. And by this, what I really mean is mama’s portion control. I always tend to over-do the amount of food for my babes and most of it ends up on the chairs or floor. The size of the bowls on this mat however seems to be just enough. The mat is also a great size for most small tabletops as those that fit to your highchair already. It’s also perfect for travel as you can easily stick this in your diaper bag no problem and wipes clean easily.

TIP: When I read first few the arguments about this mat under the comment section on Nuby’s IG when they posted our sample video HERE, one that really stuck out to me was that some babies can probably still peel off and throw this mat (which in reality, maybe he/she can), but really if you think about it the bowl is centered and if you actually press down on the center of the bowl before pressing down on the “thin” edges of the mat you can actually create quite the suction and with the thin edges of the mat little fingers are harder to pry under. Also, make sure the tabletop is clean! Penelope is always up for a challenge and I would be lying if I said she never once peeled up this mat, but I will tell you, when she did it was usually because I didn’t place the mat down in the most effective way as I just mentioned. So my tip is to place the mat down first in the position you’d like it to be then add the food. Hope this helps!

Now available to purchase at: Amazon and Babies R Us or better yet, WIN ONE! We have teamed up with Nuby for a GIVEAWAY! We are giving you two chances to win a Nuby Sure Grip Miracle Mat now!

One way to enter: You may enter by leaving a comment below telling us what your baby’s favorite foods are.

Second way to enter: Head on over to our IG pages and FOLLOW @TiffWall & @NubyUSA, like the post featuring the Nuby Sure Grip Miracle Mat. And that’s it! (BONUS EXTRA ENTRIES – Tag your friends or comment below telling us why your kid needs this mat, separate comment for separate entries).

Good luck!

 

You may have remembered that once upon a time we cloth diapered, pretty much to one and a half years old with Huntley. She would get rashes and didn’t do to well with disposables. I also really enjoyed CD’ing with one child as it was a lot easier then to line-dry/sun-bleach/etc. and was quite satisfying to know that she had such a a well-taken care of bum – all things considered! With that I will tell you that with CD’ing she was great at letting us know when she had a dirty diaper and wanted it cleaned. This led us to using the potty before one and half and actually having some success!

However, with such fun/busy lifestyle… I’ll admit – I was lazy…

It was hard to keep up with and I rarely wanted to take her to the potty after having put her in the car and being ready to leave. It was even harder during pregnancy with Penelope, and especially after having baby girl x2. I mean, can you imagine my scenario? I would literally have gotten both kids ready, buckled in their carseat, bags in the car, and everything. Suddenly you hear “poo-poo” (which Huntley calls 1&2, so in actuality she might be just talking pee). What am I going to do?  Take her in and leave a baby in the car? Unbuckle both girls (from their carseats) and take both in? I chose to NOT do either… I chose to just drive to my point B (wherever the heck I was going whether it be Disneyland/mall/Target/Starbucks/etc.). So yes, there you go, it was my being lazy and I missed that window of opportunity when she would just yell “poo-poo” in the car. Oh well! At least we got to where we needed to be.

Once we hit two it became apparent (think about the amount of food and liquids this girl eats and drinks, as I said, she’s a great eater). It was definitely time to make this shitty situation a thing of the past!

We had heard great things about the Three-day (pant-less) potty training technique and had to try it out. And you know what? It worked great…while at home…wish I could say while we were out too! But it didn’t. While it may have worked well for others, it just didn’t work with us.

My sister, at Joie De Viv had the whole potty training down nearly before my niece turned two. Earliest person I know! I had to get tips and advice from her! One of the main things I found crucial that I had learned from her was to take Huntley to the restroom every time I had to use the restroom and guess what? Put her on the potty, even if she doesn’t necessarily need to go. To this day, this stills stands (not just for mommy, but for daddy, grandma, grandpa, auntie, and other close family members). I really do think it worked for her since she not only sees the person going, but also knows that she can ask to go potty when she needs or that it’s readily available (potty-ing is nothing to be ashamed of and everyone does it).

Another habit we have acquired is using our portable potty in the trunk of our car before getting into the stroller. It’s really been working for us and she will usually hold it knowing that as soon as we get out she can use the potty. (Side note: We had an incident after being lazy with potty-training on our last vacation and came back with her actually wanting to use the pull-up vs the potty. Then trying to get her to go on the potty at Disneyland and having an auto-flush toilet actually flush while mid-pee. We were quite dependent on the porta-potty for a couple weeks after that incident. I carried this darn potty everywhere for those weeks and would always wipe down the potty with Lysol wipes after each use.)

When we started our whole potty training venture we loved the potty chair we had chosen, but since then have graduated to the NextStep toilet seat cover which has been awesome for our small-bathroom needs. So yes, we use(d) three different kind of potties…

Sweet Treats and other prizes for the win! At first we were using M&Ms (sometimes we still do) as an incentive to use the potty. It really was a big push for Huntley since she loves chocolate and doesn’t get it often unless it was in her milk. I’d carry M&M minis everywhere and would give her a couple if she did no1 or four if she did no2, I’d give her even more whenever she did both. It later moved onto stamps/stickers/temporary tattoos as some of you may have noticed in our snaps and IG pics, she’s covered in them. We have yet to stop treats, but I’m not too worried. She already seems to be weaning herself from them. At Legoland today she forgot on multiple occasions and never even asked for a treat.

One of the biggest problem we had (up until recently) was that we were still dependent on pull-ups at night, or at kids club (our gym’s daycare), and pretty much anywhere that we would leave her with someone other than family. The fear of an accident happening or having to change the sheets constantly was really getting to us and our potty-training success. Every time we were near our last pull-up I would tell myself, NO Tiffany, don’t buy anymore! And sure enough I would be strolling through Target picking up diapers for Penelope and see a sale on pull-ups and finding myself bringing home another two boxes or so…we would see a pull-up and get lazy again…

Until finally (recently) I would only buy undies for our big girl. I made it a big thing! I let her choose the two packs of seven Disney undies which she loved and give her a choice of which one she would be wearing every time we changed out. She especially likes matching things and loves having her undies match her princess nightgowns.

Although I can’t say we are “fully potty-trained” we are way more successful now (at 2.5 months) than we’ve ever been! We’ve gone three whole nights in a row without an accident in her undies/bed! During the days we avoid accidents by taking her constantly and giving her the option to go. Most times when asked “do you need to potty?” She’ll reply with a “no” but we’ll put her on the potty anyhow and she’ll still manage to go, not even knowing that she had needed to go. However, we are still human and sometimes forget to ask her or sometimes don’t even realize until after the fact that she was trying to tell us that she needed to go potty – accidents still happen. That’s when we bag it up and wash at home. But for the time being, we are super proud of our little undie-wearing big girl!

As I always like to say: every kid is different, there are so many different parenting styles & techniques, and no two family dynamic/situation is the same. So what may work for one person may not work for another. But if you would like to know, here are some of our favorite potty-training necessities (oops, spelled wrong below*). What I would like to know is what you did or plan to do or use when potty-training?

[At-home-potties BABYBJORN Potty Chair & Mayfair NextStep Child/Adult Toilet Seat + Portable Potty OXO Tot 2-in-1 Go Potty for Travel + Diaper Bag Dispenser Munchkin Arm and Hammer Diaper Bag Dispenser + Undies Disney Toddler Girls 7 Pk + Lysol Disinfecting wipes + Treats M&M Mini Milk Chocolates + SafeRest Waterproof Mattress Protector]

UPDATE: We are officially six days OVERNIGHT/Accident-free! I forgot to mention how our overnight underwear-adventures went for those first few nights. Let me tell you first off – you bound to have an accident or two, or three or more (luckily for us this part only lasted two nights (2-3 sheet changes each). But don’t worry it doesn’t last forever! In the meantime, be sure to have 2-3 mattress protecters ready! I chose the above, but there are plenty choices available. Good luck!

 

 

 

Dear Penelope,

I cannot begin to tell you how complete you make mommy and daddy feel from the moment we laid eyes on you! I say this not in the sense that we are done having children, but in the sense that you make us feel whole. You make us feel like a FAMILY. You know your dad and I come from families with more than one, two, and even three siblings more than ourselves. And maybe because of this we feel that it’s only right for us to have at least more than one child. So this is what I mean by a complete family (for us, this little Home with Walls, that is).

Unicorn baby, is what your Ai-yi dubbed you. Perfect from birth we joke as your birth was the most beautiful birth that I know, but of course I’m biased and I technically know only two births in my lifetime. However, my birth story with you really was perfect in every way and I would be over the moon if every birth I give here on out (that is if we have more children) is the same way. (Penelope’s Birth Story HERE)

Sweet P really suits you! And when you cry daddy calls you our salty Peanut (I love it). However, you are rarely sad or angry. Hangry, but not angry. You were/are a great sleeper/napper from day one. A thumb-sucker, a self-soother, and truly the easiest baby I know. We moved you into your crib after three-months and had no difficulty with the transition. How did we get so lucky?! If all babies were as easy I think the earth would be overpopulated.

You are charming with people, even strangers, and especially with cute boys three to five-years-plus your age. And although we chuckle about this, we all know it to be true. Even on the cruise you were able to charm an older boy from Holland (and quite the gentleman if I do say so myself) who asked your daddy if he could dance with you on the dance floor. I still wonder how you do it!

Having your sister born first and having been such a great eater, I never thought I could have another child who would eat as well as she did/does. Then you came into our lives and  showed us that another child could in fact out-eat Huntley! You never cease to amaze us! You are so smart! Flipping, crawling, and walking may have come a tad later to you than it did with your older sister (you still hit those milestones fairly early, like I said, you amaze us), but what really has us in awe, even to this day is your talking! I never knew babies could talk the way you did/do all before even turning one. The amount you understand and the words that come out of your mouth is astonishing to your daddy and I.

You may have learned a lot, and we can thank your sister for most of it. Huntley loves you so much. She wakes up in the morning looking for you. She cannot wait to climb into your crib and give you morning kisses, tell you to jump up and down with her on your mattress, and hold you in her arms telling you how much she “lob” (loves) you.

The joy you bring into our lives is something we are not taking for granted. We all love you so much and we cannot wait to spend more and more years watching you grow before our eyes! Happy Birthday Penny! I love you so much.

Sincerely,

Mama

Anyone who knows my kids also knows that they love to eat! If you follow us on Instagram or SnapChat you’d see numerous clips of my girls eating. Why is that? Because they just love food and I just love letting those little palettes of theirs explore different foods and flavors! Watching my children eat and enjoy different foods excite me. I love seeing their reactions: head nods, scrunch faces, sour faces, spicy faces – you get it. My family loves to eat, we love to eat different things, and we explore different cultures through food.

Variety is key in feeding my littles! We rarely have to think about bringing breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for these girls when we go out, thanks to baby-led weaning. However, when we do go out on family hikes, park/beach dates, or anywhere that food isn’t readily available we like to make sure to bring food with us. As I’ve mentioned before, I love using stainless steel products and food containers are no exception. We have and use several brands (all which I am very happy with), however when I had the chance to try out the Nuby version I was very pleased with the special features that the other ones don’t come with. We’ve actually been using this jar quite a lot lately with our trips to the beach, hiking and Disneyland, so I can actually tell you from past experiences that like almost all of these products (cups and jars) they are actually a bit temperature sensitive. So be careful opening after trekking up high altitudes or leaving it in the car during a hot sunny day. A pop sound might occur after opening but don’t be alarmed, nothing to worry about.

First off, as with the others, this food jar is made of dual wall insulated stainless steel to keep warm foods warm while still having an exterior that stays cool to the touch (so no random sweat beads dripping into your bag).

One impressive special feature is the separate compartments for this food jar. It included two separate compartments the large part for liquids or wet foods and a small hidden compartment for dry foods (perfect for snacks or treats). I especially like that above this small compartment is the mini tray that fits and includes a foldable spoon for easy feeding on the go! The tray sits above the small compartment and this actually makes for hiding those yummy treats from your little a cinch, until they finish all their food in the jar first.

Lucky for you, this food jar is currently on sale at Babies R Us as part of their Mega-licious Mealtime SALE (3/1/16 – 3/31/16). Visit Babies R Us stores to view Nuby’s full assortment of feeding products & SAVE BIG! Also be sure to check out the FREE Mega-licious Mealtime Event on March 12th at ALL Babies R Us stores! 

I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I received items to sample or review. As always, all opinions are my own and 100% honest.

 

This was one of the first Nuby products we received when we became part of the Nuby Parent Blogger team and I was never able to sit down and write my full review on this product because I wanted to give my full honest review.

My review for this product is for all three stages now that we’ve actually gone through each one! And I can proudly say my daughter has great oral hygiene and takes pride in caring for her own teeth at only two-years-old.

We started with the FIRST STAGE (the massaging brush): This is designed for babies three-months of age to gently massage gums.The bristles are short and fat and round. You might think, why do I even need to do this my baby has no teeth? But really, this is to get baby use to toothbrushes and the brushing motion before they even sprout those little teeth of theirs. I actually know quite a few people who’ve told me that by the time they introduced their child to the toothbrush it was such a foreign concept to their toddler and that they’re actually struggling to even get in there to brush their teeth. I never had this issue, maybe luck  or maybe because of early brushing habits from using this massaging brush and so on. It also makes for a great teething toy!

Then we moved onto the SECOND STAGE (next stage massaging brush): This brush is designed for babies over 11 months of age and is similar to the first brush in the way that it is rubbery and is still used to massage gums. However the difference is in the shape of the rubber bristles, they are now more pointed (still soft) and thinner to feel more like a regular bristle brush, this way they actually are cleaning the teeth that have already erupted through the gums. This is also the time when parents should focus on good brushing habits! We do our teeth brushing after meals (when at home) and during bath time.

Finally you get to the LAST STAGE (the nylon bristle brush):  This brush is designed for babies with teeth! Since our little one has always been independent (she had wanted to brush her own teeth very early on) we allow her to brush her own teeth for a few minutes to satisfy that independence of hers. However we will always finish brushing her teeth to actually get those pearly whites clean! Or at least until she’s old enough and has the dexterity to get those hard to reach spots on her own.

Now, at two years old, I think it’s finally safe to say that our girl just loves to brush her teeth! We actually have to say no to her sometimes, because more than three times a day seems a bit excessive to mama! Also, she’s had her first check up at 16 months old with our family dentist who was just the kindest! And proud to say both the dentist and the pediatrician have both complimented her nice teeth!

You can find this and an array of other awesome Nuby products at Walmart and Walmart.com!

I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I received items to sample or review. As always, all opinions are my own and 100% honest.

 

 

 

The term “the struggle is real” seems a bit overused. Anyhow, the term is still being used and I’ll admit, I use it quite often now that I am a stay-at-home mother of two.  Granted we have a million wonderful contraptions, do-dahs, and thingamajigs helping make parenthood that much easier – sometimes it just seems… that the struggle is real (First World problems of course)!

Which brings me to this… back to my blog! I miss blogging, but gee it’s tough to keep up with. I always wonder how all these wonderful mommy bloggers out there continue to do so with such ease, like really?

The year 2015 came and went with a blink of an eye and just like that my baby became a two-year-old and out came another one! I said it once and I’ll say it again the holidays in 2015 also seem to come with full-force (remember me telling you about all the Halloween stuff at Target gone before Halloween even arrived and out came Christmas decor?) And then the new year passed by us and BAM! No more #TwoUnderTwo since Huntley turned two, four days later. I remember debating with myself on whether to throw her an elaborate two-year-old birthday party, I mean I had all the pins prepared for it. But luckily with all the baby birthdays/birthday parties, holidays, and other gift-giving opportunities we were left with thin wallets and nothing else in our pockets so our decision was a simple one. In the end my sister and brother-in-law were kind enough to host an intimate get-together for Huntley’s birthday party.  As though that wasn’t enough they also showered her with tons of neat gifts that she went crazy for (those including a Disney Frozen suitcase and bath figurine set)! My parents, aka grandma and grandpa, brought over a yummy cake and if you haven’t heard it for yourself, one of Huntley’s favorite things to say to this day is “birthday cake” so you can imagine how excited she got about the cake! Which brings us to our very own birthday present to our little girl – a cake!

Wait, did you say cake? I thought your parents got the cake…

Yes, my parents did get the cake, but our cake was not edible, or at least none of us would want to eat it. It all started with Amy Jo from DCTC (don’t know what that’s about, see here) and an episode celebrating her birthday using Play-doh to make a cake. It’s by far Huntley’s favorite episode. We decided to stay up all Friday night, even putting her to bed early just so we could have more time to bust out all the cans of Play-doh without her knowing, also we were admittedly a bit excited to start working on our cheap little project for her!

In the end she was thrilled with the surprise! It was a humble birthday/birthday gift, but all in all she was happy with it and that’s all we could ask for!

 

There’s one thing that pretty much all doctors and parents will agree on when it comes to the little ones being sick, and that’s to have them STAY HYDRATED!

This past weekend has been terrible in our little Home with Walls. It all started on Friday when Huntley came down with something disgusting, but I’ll go into details about that later… She was throwing up all over the place, in my car, in her car seat, in the living room, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, pretty much all over the house. Saturday rolled by after one tough night (but not the toughest of the nights), and the puking subsided. Early morning came with a temperature over 102 and shifted to 103.7 overnight and onto Sunday… The crying, the screaming, the agony and pain did not go unnoticed by us, or our neighbors… she was in so much pain… Running on barely any sleep (if you can call those 20 mins here, 30 mins there – sleep), we were all physically and emotionally drained by 10AM.

Usually when Huntley has fevers it means one of two things – ear infection or teething. The last time she had high temps she went through two oral rounds of antibiotics before getting a last dose through a shot for over two weeks just to rid of an ear infection! With this temperature being as high as it was (highest we’ve even seen her have) I took the initiative to say – we need to see a doc, like now!

We went to urgent care, took the whole family, and waited to find out what our little girl had. The doctor told us an array of sicknesses he had hunches about, but wouldn’t fully know until all the cultures came back, good thing he was able to rule out strep,but the others would take at least two days… he still still suggested us to see our pediatrician which we did, the next day. In the end, no meds would fix her pain. The only medicine we were told that could help her would be comforting her and giving her plenty of fluids!

Which brings me to our review on the Nuby Insulated Stainless Steel No-Spill™ Flip-it™ . We’ve always been fans of Nuby products for how easy they are to find and how friendly they are to our wallets! However, since becoming a part of the parent blogging team we’ve become even bigger fans! I’ve learned so much about the company and how much they strive to improve the quality of their products while still trying to maintain their budget-friendliness  factor, which I am very grateful for!

That being said, I need to spill all the details on their new insulate stainless steel series! I was already in love with stainless steel food ware/drink ware since you know that they are BPA-free and so when I heard about Nuby’s new line I was ecstatic and knew – I have to try! To be honest I did go into the review a bit biased since we already owned some great stainless steel products from other brands as listed here, but I was surprised to find that I actually prefer Nuby’s version better!

This 9oz cup fills 280ml and is perfect for tots 12 months and older. Some differences I have found straight off the bat – the top flip lid stays on stronger and doesn’t come off when dropped and the flex straw Active Sipeez top is a bit contoured and smoother and the base also cups well onto the lid inside to keep from having leaks outside. Another neat unique thing about this cup is the “clik-it” feature. When you turn to close the lid onto the cup you’ll actually here a “click” and know that it’s fully locked! The cup also stays cool for up to 10hrs. Best of all you can register for or purchase this at any Babies R Us and it’s currently on sale!

Learn more about Nuby USA!

• www.facebook.com/nubyusa
• www.twitter.com/nubyusa
• www.instagram.com/nubyusa
• www.pinterest.com/nubyusa

I did not receive any compensation for this post, although as part of this program I received items to sample or review. As always, all opinions are my own and 100% honest.

 

It seems like a week before Halloween hits, all the holidays start getting jumbled into one! I remember scouring the stores HomeGoods, Target, Walmart, and Dollar Tree looking for last minute Halloween decorations for the Halloween play-date we hosted and barely finding anything due to all the Christmas decor being hauled out in large boxes getting ready to load onto aisles and aisles of shelves (which were originally filled with Fall/Thanksgiving/Halloween decor back in July). I found a few key pieces I knew I would love even for years to come (a POISON and a The Witch is In signs from HomeGoods, and a few crow skeletons from Target), but it was definitely difficult to fill all those empty spaces in the house since I rarely find non-disposable Halloween decor (we are more Fall-forward when we decorate as we call our favorite “FallWall” time of year). Thankfully a sweet friend of mine (and Halloween lover) had tons of fun decor she’d let me borrow for the party, things that I never even thought purchasing (things such as spooky light up houses and a talking pumpkin).

And then BAM! It’s Christmas! Every time I check my most recent updates on SnapChat and Instagram my feeds are filled with decorating/decorations for Christmas and all that holiday cheer. How can this be – I mean Thanksgiving hasn’t even arrived yet?! Am I suppose to take down all our Fall/Thanksgiving decor and start setting up for Christmas too, all before Fall even ends, or in our case arrives?! I am not looking forward to this… I have at least five storage totes for Fall, not including the two I have for Halloween. And don’t even get me started on Christmas storage boxes… oy! Our garage is truly a wreck since I can’t seem to get my sh*t straight this year…

Last year I actually gave up after opening two Christmas boxes and decided our tree didn’t need all the classic Christmas decor we normally would throw on there. No nativity scene, no wreaths, not much of anything except simple seashells on the tree, after all I was pregnant and we were going to be in Arizona for actual Christmas.

There is however one tradition that has been upheld by Tanner and I – our hunt for the perfect Grand Fir Christmas tree! It always seems like a battle every year to actually purchase this tree since it never shows up on our Groupon/Living Social Christmas tree offers (why is the Douglas Fir so much cheaper with those offers…) and we always seem to go against those offers and shell out $80-$100 or so on this darn tree of ours, but gosh that wonderful lemony pine fragrance it leaves throughout the house!

Are there any Christmas traditions you share and love with your family? Please let me know! We have tons on the Wall family side and I love and adopted them so!

Also, what will you be doing on Thanksgiving? This is the holiday we normally share with my side of the family since my mother’s birthday tends to fall on or around Thanksgiving day (however this year they are traveling). My sister will be hosting at her house for us and some out of towner family members of ours. Can’t wait!

Hope you all have and enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving too, please don’t forget to be thankful before decking the halls!

 

When they say that each kid will be different (in personality, milestone achievements, etc.) boy are they right! Penelope hit her five-month mark this past Sunday and this month has been a whirlwind of change physically, mentally, and emotionally for baby and mommy. No longer seeming of a blob of a newborn, barely able to control anything, to a full on baby ready to take on this big world of ours!

Although Penelope had flipped at only a few weeks old, it was rare when it happened and she would only flip from back to belly (easily upset about being stuck on her belly too). Then that fourth month hit and right away she was flipping with so much control in each direction! Gone were the days of tummy-time as this girl will not stay still. She could roll in whichever direction she so chooses and often starts on a blanket in the play area and ends in the living room within seconds! A few weeks before turning five-months-old she began lifting her chest off the floor and is now kicking in full force with a tiny bit of arm drag (not quite army crawling yet), wanting to get away, and wanting to be mobile just like her sister (jie-jie). I am not ready for all this mobility yet!

Her sitting and standing still needs work when it comes to balance and we assume it’s more difficult for her with that buddha-esque figure of hers (which we love!) She still enjoys both with assistance of course. This is one of the many differences in milestone achievements from her sister and I can’t say I’m not enjoying it as I feared having another early crawler (eeks, two mobile babies under two – could you imagine!)

Penelope is easily amused and loves to giggle and laugh! It’s very rare you see this girl with a mean-mug or an upset face. There hasn’t been any sign of stranger danger with this one, however, she definitely likes to analyze faces and personalities and has a keen memory of special people in her life! Penelope also loves talking (way more than her sister ever did!) She talks to everyone with the sweetest baby babbles and coos. Her favorite sounds are imitations of sounds you make! Which brings me to her favorite Disneyland attractions, yes, she has favorites already and you can definitely tell! She loves the Ariel ride, Disney Junior, and Frozen Sing-along at California Disneyland and It’s a Small World at Disneyland. All full of songs and music – go figure!

All in all, her development seems to be on the right track. Her smiles are contagious and  although I’m sure we are just blinded by love, we can’t help but think she is just the cutest and sweetest Penny around!

Have I not told you how much I love Bumkins Baby Products?! (I promise I’m not being paid to say this!) Even before I had a wee little one of my own I knew about this company through seeing my nieces and nephews use Bumkins products during family dinners and whatnot. I mean, how could you not notice all the cute prints on those bibs of theirs? That’s actually really how I got hooked on Bumkins bibs – and they have multiple kinds too!

Which brings me to my review on Bumkins Bandana Bibs. When Bumkins Baby offered to let me try out a set on our littlest Penelope I was ecstatic! Right off the bat I can tell you this bib is/was perfect for the littlest of babies. We own a ton of bandana bibs from many different companies, but this one seemed to be the smallest, yet thickest (for more absorbency). This is also because these bibs are meant to be used for babies ages 0-9 months (usually when they teeth the most, or at least when they are the drool-iest!) Bibs almost always become part of Penelope’s outfits since she is one super drool-ey baby so good thing they make them in fashionable prints!

When you feel the bibs for the first time you wouldn’t expect to find that there is actually a waterproof inner layer to keep the drool from soaking into babies clothes, since the the bib is made of a 100% soft cotton terry blend outer layers. As I mentioned, we own a lot of bandana bibs but nothing with this extra waterproof layer. Even with this extra layer the bib is still easy maintenance and can be tossed in the washer machine and dryer along with all those other cute baby articles of clothing! The snap closures are adjustable to two fitting sizes and I totally appreciate the button snaps as I hate velcro (the noise and the way it sticks, I imagine isn’t very pleasant for baby). We have been using these bibs for five months now and the design and quality are impeccable as they are still in great condition. All in all, these bibs are great for the littlest of teethers and droolers!
You can get yours on Amazon or at Bumkins directly, however we will be giving away this set to one lucky Instagram winner starting tomorrow and ending within a few days! All you need to do is like the posted giveaway photo and follow me @TiffWall and @BumkinsBaby – simple as that!