Happy Birthday to You ...

No, silly, not mine!!! Can you believe that Chloe is turning 1 already? That is just crazy nuts!!!! It seems like just yesterday my husband was driving me to the hospital for the third time, wondering if this was really it (it was). Man ... in some ways I sort of miss those days - there's something about a teeny foldy baby that is just so sweet. Mine, however, was not so sweet - Chloe had colic basically from day 1 - she was never that baby who just slept and ate, she just cried and ate - she rarely slept and it made mommy's maternity leave quite difficult (which is probably why I love Adele's blog, Mila's Daydreams, so much. I wish my baby girl slept like that.)

Anyway, I digress. Everyone keeps asking my what Chloe wants for her birthday. Its actually sort of difficult shopping for a soon-to-be 1-year old. All the toys really seem geared for older kids or for babies - but I am now realizing that Chloe really is at the cusp of being an "older kid". Now that she's walking (or tentatively walking) her interests and the toys she likes and the things she does is probably going to change pretty quickly. So, after a lot of thought, the hubs and I compiled a list of a few things we could get for her for her birthday. The item we ended up choosing does NOT appear on this list - you'll have to either come to party or check back on the blog after 8/7 for an update - and yes, I promise I'll post some Chloe pics!!!

Without further ado, I now present Chloe's wishlist.

She's all about stuffed animals these days. She points to them, and when you give them to her, she gives you the biggest smile like you just gave her the world, and hugs it super tight and buries her adorable little face into it. She's also doing this sweet little shoulder-shrugging thing these days when she really likes things, burying her chin into her neck and raising her shoulders as she hugs her lovey tight ... its OMG cute, and must be seen to be appreciated. So it's no surprise then that Mommy thinks Miss Chloe would love these adorable little (personalized) pillows from Makaboo. They are just the kind of softness that she loves, and the animals are just so cute! What a sweet little lovey for my little lovey!

Now that the Peanut is able to stand on her own, it would be nice to be able to track her growth so we can look back and think, remember when you were this little! We bought our house a year ago, and while we love it, it's definately not our "forever" home. We'll probably be moving in about a year, so it's important that the growth chart that we use is portable. They have all these adorable vinyl wall decals that I love, but they just wouldn't work for us (which is too bad, because I just LOVE this one). Chloe's room is an owl theme, so I lie how this wood growth chart will fit in nicely with the existing decor, plus it too can be personalized (I have a thing for personalized items, can you tell?)

From Etsy seller Get Ready Set Grow

Chloe is just starting to understand crayons and coloring, but she can't seem to hold the crayon properly in way that it hits the paper so that she can do it. She understands the concept, but can't make the crayons do what she wants them to. Enter these super cute stackable crayons from The Lakeside Collection. They're wide enough for her to hold with her clumsy little hands, plus they're super cute looking, and can even help her with one of her developmental milestones: stacking!

Another item on Chloe's wishlist has to be Megabloks. Essentially they're giant legos, and again, help Chloe to learn how to stack things. Apparently this is one of her favorite toys at daycare, so of course it just had to make an appearance here. You can buy Megabloks just about anywhere - Walmart, Target, ToysRUs, etc, but our daycare provider let us know that the best way to get them is used - craigslist, baby!

One of the things that Hubs McGoo and I really wanted to get for her was a water & sand table. She loves water - has since she was first introduced to the idea of water as recreation. These water & sand tables are great because she can play with them during the summer and fill them with the requisite water & sand, and then during the winter months if mom feels like freezing her tushy off and letting kiddo play outside, she can fill it with snow. There are lots of them out there, but I just think this one from Step2 is super cute - available at Walmart & Target!

And finally, for my baby who turned into a walking toddler overnight, mommy is going to have to start stocking up on shoes! She's in a 3/4 now, so I don't really know what to say for winter - maybe a 5? I guess it's better that shoes be big than small, right? Anyway, soft-soled shoes are where it's at for new walkers, and Robeez just about wrote the book on soft-soled shoes. Plus, they're super cute!!!

When I was a baby, my awesomely hippie parents put me in handmade moccasins just about every day. In fact, I still have them, and Chloe wore them a few times last fall. She's since outgrown them, I'd love to get her a new pair. Bobux also makes great soft-soled shoes, so of course here they are on her list!

OK, so I know I said that soft-soled shoes were best, but really, what self-respecting toddler SHOULDN'T own a pair of pink Chucks?

From Piperlime


And, finally, last but not least, this one is for Aunty Corinne, one of the loyal followers of Whiskers on Kittens - baby New Balances, also from Piperlime. How stinking cute are these!!!!

OK, folks, that's all for now - more to come tomorrow!!!!