Before I had Leah, I had really only babysat  kids that crawled (6-9 months) through elementary school. I didn’t watch a lot of “new” babies. So when I had Leah, I really had no clue what I was going to do with her. I mean sure, I had babysat a few little ones on a one-time basis but I was just so excited to hold a baby, that it’s EXACTLY what I did. I just held them. I didn’t put them down. They were so cute and snuggly!

But then I had a baby and I wanted to do more with her than just hold her and snuggle her (although I do that often too). So what do you do? Here are some things I try to do with L:

1. The bouncer

Leah LOVES her bouncer. It makes music, it vibrates and it has a sweet toybar that she loves grabbing at. Sometimes I’ll play the baby einstein beethoven DVD for her instead of using the music on the bouncer because it makes me less crazy. Plus it’s baby einstein so she’ll be a genius someday, right?

2. The activity Mat

Hands down, one of the best gifts we received! She absolutely loves looking at herself in the mirror and she ADORES all the fun toys we can hang from it.  (She was tired and cranky in this photo, but um…I PROMISE SHE LOVES THIS!) (Is it bad I find her sad/angry faces super cute?) Thankfully, she loves Captain Calamari. It just happens to be OUR favorite toy too

3. Tummy Time

So, L kind of hates tummy time. I think most babies do because they can’t really DO anything for awhile. She’s able to push herself up and hold herself up (in that push-up kind of stance) for a little while. She can almost roll herself from belly to back but has NO interest in rolling from back to belly.

4. We sing together

I love to sing. I sing pretty much whenever and wherever. I have no shame, is what I’m telling you. So I sign to L frequently. Usually when she first wakes up because she is super vocal and she, I swear to you, sings WITH me. Sometimes when we go out together I sing to her. I sing to her in the car (ok fine, I’m really just singing in the car like ALWAYS but NOW I have an audience) and in the grocery store and pretty much anywhere. She loves it and I love it too.

5. We Go For Walks

L loves to go on walks. I try to reserve these walks to late afternoon/early evening though, because Alabama is HOTASBALLS  kind of warm right now. She literally makes faces at me the whole time. It cracks me up. (Please note, she’s not strapped in because we were stopped at a tball game and she was FLIPPING OUT)

6. She Plays With Other Kids

Yeah, you heard right. She’s obsessed with other children. She LOVES these rascals and pretty much any other kids she’s around. She will fight sleep in order to stay awake watching these kids. I am, no doubt, the mother of a social butterfly. I can already sense it. This child might look like my husband, but I know she’s JUST LIKE ME. (God, help me!)

7. We Take Pictures

I’m still so mad at myself for not having any pictures of us at the hospital (we have SOME pictures but none of L and I from the day she was born. :sigh: New parents…) so I try to take pictures of us whenever I can now. If we’re out, I’m asking people to take pictures of us. If we’re at home, I sit her on my lap and we take photobooth pictures. SHE LOVES IT.

So that’s what we’re up to! What do you do with your little one?  I’m personally WAY excited to start taking her places like the zoo and the aquarium. I’m shocked at how alert she is already and how able to focus she is! Oh, the babies. How they get me <3