It's a... blog!: Farewell Swing, Bouncer, & Bumbo

Our 21 pound Brogan has outgrown most of his baby equipment. A lot of the items had a 25 pound weight limit, but we could see that waiting that long could prove dangerous. To see Brogan's growth, look below at a picture of Brogan in the swing in early May and a picture of him in it in mid-August. We couldn't use the headpiece any longer! Neither one of my children loved the swing, though it proved somewhat useful for Brogan's short morning naps. I don't think any of us miss the thing. The swing just took up a lot of space in our living room.

A bouncer is supposed to sit at somewhat of an incline, but it no longer did with Brogan. He was essentially lying horizontal, especially when he bounced. It would not have been long before his legs were higher in the air than his head. And, so, the bouncer got the boot as well. I will probably miss it the most since I often used it to entertain Brogan while I showered or did chores. Ayden might also miss the bouncer since I sometimes caught him sitting in it!

And, finally, the Bumbo. Yes, I know the Bumbo was recently put on recall. That has nothing to do with why we don't have it anymore. One, Brogan was starting to rock in the Bumbo, which obviously increases the likelihood that he will throw himself backward. Two, I was having a hard time getting him out of it because his booty would literally be stuck in the chair. Three, yep, you guessed it... Our little man is sitting up on his own! Two weeks ago, he looked like this:

After one day of practice with his Daddy and then another with CeeCee, the expert teacher on sitting up (she taught Ayden as well), he now looks like this:

He occasionally loses his balance and falls to the side or backwards, but he has learned quickly to balance and play with toys. He still gets tired after about 30 minutes and then wants to try something new. Some of that may also have to do with boredom; he doesn't last too long doing any one activity.

Of course, once we got rid of three big baby items, we put out one larger than the rest, the jumper! When Ayden came downstairs one morning and saw the jumper in the living room floor, he exclaimed, "WOOOOOW!" We have had a difficult time explaining to him that he played with the jumper once upon a time and that now Brogan would play in it. We told him to show Brogan how to use the toys. I'm not sure Ayden is as keen on being teacher as he is on playing with the toys himself!

Mama! Stuck! Help!!!!!!!!!

Yes, Ayden has a bucket on his head.
Yes, Brogan is eating his bib.

On day one of being in the jumper, Brogan learned how to use all of the toys, and, naturally, he learned how fun it was to jump.

I think Brogan certainly benefits from having an older brother to mimic. I'm not sure he will ever crawl because he sees that Ayden walks. He still loves when someone holds him standing up, and he grins when his daddy helps him "walk" across the floor.

The first time Brogan rolled over back to belly, he completely freaked out. Since then, he is content to do twisting motions to see what everyone is doing. That doesn't mean that his daddy doesn't do tummy time with him to encourage him to keep trying.

How far can I go without actually rolling to my tummy?

Yes, that is drool. I am rather messy with all my drool and spit up!

As Brogan becomes more interactive, Ayden become more jealous. If one is taking pictures of Brogan, Ayden decides he wants his picture taken (notice Ayden say "Cheese!" in the background of one of the videos). If one pays attention to Brogan, Ayden wants the same attention (notice Ayden say "hug" or actually sit in my lap!). Ayden has recently become quite angry with his daddy over the amount of attention Brogan gets. As a result, Ayden is all about his mama. Brogan, on the other hand, is slowly evolving into a Daddy's Boy. My favorite thing to watch Brogan and Bryan do is have conversations. Brogan especially likes to gargle his spit to "talk," and his daddy will hover over him gargling back; they can go back and forth gargling for as long as Bryan is willing.