Jellybean is a toddler, but she will always be my baby!!  So we have moved on from the baby must have to toddler favorites!  I think JB is taking a more active role in selecting her essentials and her little personality is really starting to shine through.

She has an opinion on what she will wear each day.  I’ve got it down to a science {on those days where she’s acting ‘typical’} … I pick out 2 outfits and say ‘this one or that one’.  She usually points aggressively at one and boom that’s the OOTD.  But seriously, that girl has style.  If I select an outfit she doesn’t like I get a very stern looks followed by “No, No, No, Mommy!”.  And yes, those no’s are capitalized on purpose. :)

Over the past few months here’s what Jellybean has been loving the most …

Toddler Favorites Months 13 to 18  |  Life's Tidbits

Contigo Water Bottle // This water bottle was recommended by a friend and is actually the same brand as our coffee mugs so I was excited for Jellybean to give them a try.  It took her a little bit of time to get the whole straw thing down, but these quickly became a staple in our house.

Baby Buddy Natural Bath Sponge // Amazing product and I’m bummed we didn’t find it when Jellybean was just an infant.  Bath time sponge equals a decrease in the amount of laundry {no more… or at least less wash clothes}.

Lovey // My mother always joked she was going to get Jellybean a whole bunch of tags for her 1st birthday, because JB was always eating the tags of her toys.  Apparently this is a typical baby thing (wink, wink) and when my mom found the tag lovey she just had to buy it.  Jellybean took a quick liking to the lovey and now sleeps with it every night!

Munchkin Bath Letters & Numbers // These are so much fun! They stick to the tub and walls very easily.  While Jellybean isn’t totally ready for learning all the letters we do

10 Little Monkey (Poke-a-Dot!) Book // My mom found this book and oh my goodness does Jellybean like it.  So much so, the book is starting to fall apart from all the use it gets.  I like that it teaches number and is interactive in a way that helps kids with their motor skills.

Ikea Dinnerware Set // Don’t really think an explanation is needed here.  Affordable and practical. Done & done.

Circo Folding Stroller and Jenna Doll  //  I think this is probably in the top 5 toys played with everyday in our house.  Jellybean loves hugging her doll and then placing (read shoving) it into the stroller.  They then zip up and down the hallways … there is no walking Jellybean insists on RUNNING everywhere. :)

Mega Blocks // Jellybean has found all sorts of uses for the blocks that go beyond stacking and building castles.  She hurls shares them at the dog and tries to balance them on her head.  Typically these little gems will keep her busy for a while.

My 1st Anywhere Chair // This is definitely one of my favorite things we have for Jellybean.  My in-laws asked what we would like for her 1st birthday and this was my pick.  She curls up and ‘reads’ a book, has a snack (much to my wishing she wouldn’t eat on her chair) or just hangs out on it with her toys.  She uses it every.single.day.  So even though the price point is kind of high, I think it’s totally worth it!

In case you missed it, check out the the baby essential series for newborns, 3-5 months6-8 months and 9-12 months.

Does your toddler love any of these items?  Any recommendations for a 19-24 month old?

Signiture_Nicole

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This was one of those weeks that was so long and yet flew by all at the same time.  Does that even make sense?!  Meh it’s how I feel so I’m going with it.  I’m so looking forward to this weekend … my sister AND sister-in-law are coming in for a visit.  Yay! TGIF!

The best part of my week was my fur baby and toddler are finally bonding.  And seriously I have a toddler? WHY is my baby growing up so fast?!?!?!  Sophi tolerates Jellybean as she aggressively pets and attempts to {open mouth} kiss her.  Jellybean shrieks with glee on the rare occasion Sophi kisses her back.  It’s really quite entertaining to watch them together.

Check out Sophi’s ‘I’m not sure I like this’ face …

IMG_1178

Some favs from the past week …

I wish it was appropriate to wear yoga pants and sweatshirts to work, restaurants and maybe sometimes to parties … okay really everywhere!  LOVE me some cute & comfortable clothing.  I love this sparkle heart sweatshirt.  An absolute must have with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, ummm yup purchased!  Such a great find — comfy and stylish V-day wear for this Mama.

Over the holidays I signed up for Birchbox.  I’ve received two boxes so far, honestly I’ve had mixed feelings about the contents.  I absolutely love the concept, but the products have been just okay.  My favorite product from the December and January boxes is by far the Vasanti exfoliator.  Once my sample size runs out I will definitely be purchasing a full size version!

After a year, yup an ENTIRE year, {hang my head in shame} I am finally reading a book … like a real book with paper pages and everything.  Despite loving my Kindle I impulse bought a new read on Amazon one evening in early January.  So what am I reading?  The Happiness Project.  So far I’m enjoying it a lot and it’s written as though you are having conversation with the author.  It came highly recommended from friends as well as a number of the bloggers I follow.

This recipe was divine, although the bananas didn’t seem to come quite right.  Either way it was delicious and when I have time, I plan to make it again.  Side note: I’m kind of obsessed with quinoa right now.  I blame it on credit the Earth Bowl salad from Sweetgreen.

Do you remember jellie shoes?  OMG I was totally in love with them as a child.  Hello early 90’s!!!  Too bad they were incredibly uncomfortable, but stylish so I wore them anyways.  WELL … I found baby sparkle jellies online.  My fingers did the clickin’ and a week later they arrived!  I can’t wait for my baby girl to wear them.

And in other news … it’s official … I am Apple convert!  Bye bye PC, see ya later Android and say HELLO to my pretty little Mac and iPhone 6.  I never wanted to be a lover of Apple products, but I am.  Phew I feel better … no more secrets about being an Apple lover :)

What are you loving this week?

Have a great weekend and happy Friday!

Signiture_Nicole

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It’s funny each month the husband and I remark at how this is our ‘favorite’ month and what I’m starting to realize is … every month/year/decade will always be the best!  Just a few of the highlights of the past few months include Jellybean crawling, pulling up on everything in sight, holds her own bottle, clapping and producing FOUR teeth!  The whole teething thing was not a high point, but her adorable smile with 4 little pearly whites certainly is.

I have already shared my newborn and 3-5 month must have baby gear.  I’m excited to continue the series with more essentials for months six to eight!  Careful consideration goes into each product before we purchase it.  It’s important to ensure things are a good match for both Jellybean and our lifestyle.  Over the past few months I have found so many baby and mommy approved items that I had trouble narrowing down the list of essentials to share with you!

Favorite Baby Gear – Months 6, 7 & 8  |  Life's Tidbits

Burpy Bib  // This is a burp cloth and a bib in one!  It’s definitely a little bit pricier than your typical bib or burp cloth, but totally worth it!  I with I had invested in a few more of these earlier on.  Though I still swear by the cheap burp clothes I mentioned in my newborn necessity post, I’m a big fan of these as well!

RazBaby Raz-Berry Teether // Despite not being a pacifier lover, Jellybean is fan of this teether. There are a bunch of textures on it and has come in handy when her gums have been especially itchy.

Squeeze and Teethe Elephant // This is the same brand as the as Sophie Giraffe, which seems to show up on EVERY baby registry list I’ve read.  Honestly I liked the Elephant way better than the Giraffe.  The giraffe has long legs, which Jellybean has gagged herself on more times than I can count and the elephant’s legs are shorter.  Plus it’s nice to be a little different!  Tip – this also come in a lion you just have to look past the ginormous giraffe display. :)

Snack Catcher //  We call it the Cheerio cup!  This comes in handy both at home and when we are on the go.  Keeps, most, of the cheerios in the cup and Jellybean can feed herself without any issues.

Sleepwear – Cupcake Onsie // These are my favorite nighttime onsies.  The come in the cutest designs, plus they are footless.  Jellybean is pretty tall so when we tried to go up a size in clothes for her length and they were too big around the waist I realized footless onsies were the perfect middle ground.  JB still sleeps in a sleep sack so we don’t worry about her toesies getting cold.

Having a Ball Get Rollin Activity Table //  When the pulling up began I quickly realized we needed a toy Jellybean could pull up on and play with.  The coffee table was effective at first, but it wasn’t interactive or stimulating … even with toys on the table.  I love this activity table and so does JB.

Peak-a-Boo Forest // This was given to us as a gift and Jellybean has been a pretty big fan for a while.  The book makes that crinkle noise, which is a huge hit.  Over the past few weeks Jellybean has gone from liking the book to being completely obsessed. She carries it everywhere (by the handle) and cries when you try to take it away … sorry JB, but the book can’t bathe with you hahaha.

Booster Pads Diaper //  I can’t even remember who suggested I tries these, but I was sold after 1 night.  Instead of purchasing specific night time diapers we place one of the booster pads into the diaper each night and we haven’t had a leak or issue yet!!  PLUS the booster pads fit into every size diaper we’ve used so far (sizes 1 -3) … no need to purchase new pads when your little one outgrows their diapers.

Munchkin Lake Buddies Bath Tub Toy //  These double as bath toys, regular toys and teething toys.  Jellybean LOVES the different characters and at least one can be found in every room in the house.

Puj Spout Cover //  No real explanation needed here.

Butt Paste // When registering and purchasing maternity clothes I got a lot of bags with free samples.  One of the samples was Butt Paste.  I gave the name a little snicker and threw it into my ‘master’ bag of samples.  Little did I know Butt Paste would become our go to when a diaper rash was developing.  Jellybean’s skin is very sensitive and it took a few tries to find the right tush cream.

So there you have it our favorite for Jellybean’s 6th, 7th and 8th month.  What are your must have baby gear items?  Any recommendations for months 9 to 12??

Oh and it’s so cliche, but how do they grow up so fast?

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We began our honeymoon in Positano and then we were off to Sorrento.  Day 6 was spent on the train heading north to Cinque Terre.  The trip was long and I read an entire book on the train ride there!  The trip wasn’t over when we arrive at the Monterosso train station.  We then had to shlep our luggage up a hill to the hotel.  Then it was official … we had arrived in Cinque Terre!

Cinque Terre, Italy: Honeymoon Part |  Life's Tidbits

Screen shot from Google Maps

We stayed at the #1 hotel in Monterosso, at least according to TripAdvisor, Hotel Villa Steno.  The hotel was great and the view was amazing.  We made good use of our balcony during our stay. I would definitely recommend a balcony with an ocean view!

Day 7: Day at the Beach

After sleeping in a little, we lathered up with sun tan lotion and headed to the beach!  The day was spent ocean side reading, tanning and hanging out.  The beach was beautiful and while relaxing on the beach I read Sarah’s Key, which is a great book and I highly recommend it.

Cinque Terre, Italy: Honeymoon Part |  Life's Tidbits

After a drink on the balcony and taking in the beautiful views we decided it was time for some PIZZA! Nothing had compared to the first place we found in Positano, however we were going to try to find something at least close.  As always we used the TripAdvisor app on the iPhone and decided upon Pizzeria Da Ely.  The pizza was very good and we were able to land a seat outside without having a reservation. :)  After a lovely dinner and bottle of wine we headed back to the hotel.

Cinque Terre, Italy: Honeymoon Part |  Life's Tidbits

Monterosso al Mare shuts down a lot earlier than Sorrento and Positano did.  For us this was a good thing, because the next day we planned to hike the 5 cities of Cinque Terre!

Day 8: Hiking Cinque Terre

We woke up early, which was a nice change and headed directly to breakfast.  After breakfast we packed water bottles, sunscreen and the camera into our backpack and headed towards the trail for our big hike.  We hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza.  I honestly don’t think I’ve ever sweat so much in my entire life.  It was SO hot and although the hike wasn’t hard there were enough stairs to make it so I couldn’t control the sweating. Hahaha.  Sexy, right?

Anyways after finally reaching Vernazza we stopped for lunch at Gianni Franzi.  I had the pasta with meat sauce it was A-Mazing.  After resting for a while we began the hike to Corniglia.  Once we arrived in  Corniglia it was time for a drink at a cute little bar.  The path from Corniglia to Manarola was closed for some reason so we would have to hop on the train to Manarola and then we could finish the hike through the cities.

The path closure was about all the level of excuses we needed to skip the last two cities (Manarola and Riomaggiore).  It was hot and we were tired from already hiking for the better part of the day.  We got on the train and headed back to our beautiful hotel.  We sat on the balcony, watched the sunset and savored our last evening in Cinque Terre.

Here are a few pictures from the hike:

Cinque Terre, Italy: Honeymoon Part |  Life's Tidbits

So beautiful!!! Even though we didn’t finish the hike I am glad we enjoyed the portion that we did do.  I think if it wasn’t so hot then we would have done the whole thing.  On our last night we went to Il Casello for dinner.  The food was great and the view of the ocean was perfect.  I think this is a place that only takes cash though … just a little fyi/heads up if you decide to go.

Day 9 would be spent on the train to Rome – our final stop on the honeymoon.

Caio! See you in Rome!!!

Happy traveling.

Don’t forget to leave your tidbit by commenting below :)

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