Lessons From My Toddler

It has been exactly 60 "school days" since Morley started daycare.

That mom guilt I was feeling back on day one? You know, that uncontrollable feeling moms get that no matter what they do, they are not doing the right thing? Ya, it's still there. It ebbs and flows depending on the day, but overall, it hasn't gotten any easier. Even with 60 days under our belt.

I guess I should clarify that statement. It hasn't gotten any easier for ME.

Baby girl? She L-O-V-E-S daycare.

I was talking daycare with a girlfriend the other day. It's a pretty common topic of conversation these days, especially amongst those with kids. I was telling her how it seems that every day Morley comes home from day care, she brings a new skill or behaviour with her, continuously impressing us. 

One day it is saying "up" or "choo choo" or "boo" (which we've learned is book), while the next it is knowing how to put on her shoes, asking please in baby sign language or even putting her cheese string wrapper in the garbage, completely unprompted. Such a little sponge. I am still amazed that a 13 month old knows how to throw her trash in the garbage, or even where the garbage can is. Most adults still struggle with that simple task.

And while baby girl has learned so much these past 60 days, you could say we've learned a lot too.

Like what an "incident report" is. She's gotten quite the reputation as a little bruiser, constantly testing the limits of her new walk/run ability and getting a liiitttttle too confident. It usually ends with her bonking her head, and mom and dad having to sign off on that dreaded incident report. 

One other thing that we've come to learn is that bottles are not only a necessity for feeding, but also a must for comfort.

In a recent parenting fail, we forgot to put a bottle in her bag for a recent evening at Grandpa's house. Silly me thinking a sippy cup would do the trick. You'd think the world was ending, absolutely inconsolable. 

Lesson learned. Baby needs her bubba, especially before bed. 

Yes, those are Christmas pjs. And yes, I'm aware its spring. As with her bottles, comfort is also key when it comes to pjs.

From the very beginning, we have been a Philips Avent family. Philips Avent Natural Bottles are the most natural way to bottle feed. The advanced anti-colic system with innovative twin valve is extremely important to ensure air goes into the bottle and not baby's tummy. The bottles have an ergonomic shape for maximum comfort, making them easy to hold and grip in any direction. They are simple to use and clean, with quick and easy assembly, which is important when you've got a hungry babe on your hands. Or, in our case, one that needs just a little bit of comfort before she goes to bed.

Philips Avent Natural Bottles are 100% BPA-free and are available in two different sizes, 4oz (125mL) and 9oz (260mL), colours and decorations.

Do you have a toddler at home? What have they taught you? I'd love to hear!

GIVEAWAY: Don't forget to enter this amazing giveaway from Philips Avent! Enter below for your chance to win one of two Philips Avent Natural Bottle and Anti-Colic Bottle Gift Sets. This giveaway is open to all Canadians and runs until 5/21/2017. Good luck!

Philips Avent Bottles Giveaway - March/April 2017

Disclaimer: As a member of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with Philips Avent, I received products and/or compensation in exchange for this post. All opinions and advice shared are 100% my own. Thank you Philips Avent! 

Lessons From My 9 Month Old: Holiday Edition

Nine months have come and gone in the blink of an eye. It's hard to believe that little miss Morley has officially been out for as long as she was in. We're three quarters of the way through her first year, and aside from looking through photos, its hard to remember those first few days. Time is going by too fast baby girl, please slow down.

The past month alone we have seen some of the biggest changes and developments in baby girl - everything from becoming quite the talker, pulling herself up in the crib and legit baby crawling to feeding herself and climbing stairs like a pro. She's strong, she's mobile, she's chatty and she knows exactly what she wants. 

For this month's lessons, I was going to share the many faces of Morley that we've had to learn over the past nine months. Then I realized, this was mostly pictures of her hilarious pooping face, which no one else would find funny except for mom and dad.

Instead, with Morley's first Christmas fast approaching, I thought that I would share photos of her many festive winter adventures this past month. 

We kicked off the month of Christmas fun by visiting the Toronto Christmas Market in the historic Distillery District. Despite a bit of rain, the market was a hit with the adults and a good place to take a nap for Morley.

We spent some time at Grandma and Poppa's on Lake Huron. Morley and Titus' relationship continues to grow stronger and stronger each time they're together. It's a pretty give and take relationship - Morley gets to touch Titus' feet (which he doesn't do for just anyone) and Titus gets to "play with" Morley's stuffies. Titus gets some of Morley's egg and Morley gets to yell at him. Give and take. Currently, he is still faster than her, but I worry for him.

We're all about family traditions, and for Morley's first Christmas we started the family tradition game started off strong. We visited a local Christmas tree farm to help pick out the perfect tree and made sure she was sporting her own homemade ugly Christmas sweater.

Back in Toronto, we escaped the cold with a visit to Santa and to some of our favourite family-friendly indoor attractions in Toronto, such as Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, the Ontario Science Centre and Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). The Chihuly glass exhibition at the ROM was absolutely breathtaking, and a must see if it comes to your area.

And last, but definitely not least, we filled our tiny apartment with Christmas cheer. This included making Morley a personalized plate for Santa's cookies and her own baby-friendly Christmas tree. 

I'd say it was a pretty successful month.

How do you prepare for the holidays? What are your family traditions?

Have a safe and happy holiday, from my little family to yours!

Don't forget to follow To & Fro on Insta (@toandfro21) for more updates on our adventures with little miss Morley.