Welcome to The Friday Five (Things I Love This Week)! You know, I’m enjoying writing this feature, because it turns out that I love many, many things. And as Nolan gets older and wiser he and I will keep discovering more things to love, and my hope is that in 14 years, right when he’s on the cusp of puberty, I can write about things that appeal to teenage boys. And then shit will get real weird. But for now….
The Friday Five, (non-creepy baby version)!
1. Peekaboo Books
Never, ever, have I found a page turner like Baby Says Peekaboo!
I’m not gonna lie, I find myself getting strangely surprised and excited as well. Repetitively yelling PEEKABOO! must create some sort of cataclysmic force deep within you, and when the pressure is released via your yell the relief is so great that after the fact you mistakenly think you enjoyed the experience. Anyway, babies f*cking LOVE this book. Nolan “reads” it like 50 times a day. Never gets old.
You might notice that the left-hand corners are gnawed off, as if by a tiny animal. That is the hallmark of a literary masterpiece. Don’t bother reading books that have not been chewed on. Total waste of time.
Nolan is showing off his book skills and pretending that a squirrel snuck into his nursery and chewed the book. He did NOT want baby Carys to know the truth about those teeth marks.
2. Jessica Rapisarda at Welcome to the Bundle
I may have a non-sexual internet girl crush on Jessica. She is super funny and clever. She has a son she calls Pork Chop yet harbors a strong feeling of disgust toward ham. My Grandpa was called Pork Chop and I too share this disgust of ham. It’s just so PINK!
I also like that Jessica didn’t threaten a restraining order on me when I tried to meet up with her in person upon finding myself in her vicinity during a road trip. Plus she’s been nothing but pleasant, helpful, and totally awesome in all of our encounters. She’s been featured on Scary Mommy and Mamapedia, and she writes like it’s her job! (which, it kind of is, actually).
Pretty much everything Jessica posts I read and am all “Mmmhmmm, Amen!” Love this girl. Check her out and follow her on Facebook. And then back off because I found her first and want to be her new best friend.
If you want a post to start with, check this one out: The One Word You Can’t Yell in a Crowded Park.
3. ERGObaby Back Carry Position
If you have a portly baby like I do, and if you haven’t been religiously attending CrossFit, you may want to consider the back-carry option. It’s helpful for the lapsed athletes among us.
I LOVE this carry! I’ve always fancied myself as a sort of adventurer, and in my mind’s eye adventurers are usually wearing backpacks or carrying satchels filled with their exploring tools. Now, I don’t have any tools, not even a Swiss Army knife, but I can still throw my baby into a backpack and pretend we’re on a trek through the Himalayas instead of on our way to get coffee.
Although Nolan seems very relaxed in this pose, I think it’s better when your baby’s head is not dangling back like this.
If you’re anything like me, you may be a little intimidated about how to get your baby into the carrier on your back, especially without assistance. As all good adventurers do, I consulted YouTube for help on tackling this matter, and found this video to be the most useful:
It takes a little practice, but I found that a braver balls-to-the-walls approach for getting Nolan situated worked better than a tentative approach. I would recommend standing over a bed with your baby at first though, because even with a “can-do” attitude you don’t literally want your baby’s balls hitting any walls because you swung him onto your back too aggressively. You feel me?
While I’m specifically loving this back-carry position, I also love the ERGObaby
4. Boon Snack Ball 
This Boon Snack Ball
Not your average blue ball.
5. IKEA
Nothing makes me want to roll around on entirely white furniture and become a Swedish citizen like IKEA. Sometimes I think that I want some color in my life, and maybe a little cozy sloppiness, and then I think of IKEA and remember that I don’t want that at all, what I want is pure, functional, rigid order. I want Sweden and all of their meatballs.
I visited IKEA this week just to browse, and of course to eat in their cafeteria. I was not disappointed on any count. The whole place is just so shiny!
This may be news to nobody but me, but IKEA now has all of these fake little houses set up in the store, specifying the square footage (always tiny) and welcoming you inside. Like “Welcome to my 472 Square Foot Home!” Why thank you, Hobbit! I think I will step inside your tiny little home and see what miracles IKEA can pull off with their shelving systems. I was entranced to find myself wandering through a 362 foot dwelling that was somehow able to pack in a bathroom, bedroom, home office, kitchen, living room and tennis court. Amazing! And nothing that you can’t achieve in your own home with the help of some exceedingly tall storage units and a willingness to have your oven next to your bathtub.
And that concludes The Friday Five. Throw your baby on your back and head out to enjoy the weekend. As they say at IKEA, the world is your meatball.
“The world is your meatball…” LOVE IT! Great post! Pretty soon Nolan will be stashing hair product samples in that little blue ball… or maybe some meatballs! Have a great weekend!
Nolan has already tried to fit a few samples of Herbal Essences in the ball, but I told him that will taint the taste of his Cheerios.
Awesome list! Right there with you on the peekaboo books, trips to Sweden via Ikea and the girl crush on Jess (I mean, who can resist Babraham Lincoln?)…and now I must go find a Boon, which looks eerily similar to the Kong we used to give our dog. Are you supposed to stuff treats inside with peanut butter? 🙂
Michele, dogs and babies are pretty much the same thing, so it doesn’t surprise me at all that the Boon and the Kong are almost the same!
Do you have sticky yellow tape on the floor in IKEA USA as we have in UK? It’s supposedly a helpful guide through the shop but in reality it makes sure that you don’t miss a single item . Furniture is set up to prevent anyone trying to skip kitchens and bathrooms. Believe me I try on each visit! Unfortunately the ‘yellow brick road’ doesn’t bring you to rainbow’s end, just long queues with too few tills open. Bought a set of finger puppets this week to entertain granddaughter on Skype …. when she’s not taking a reading class with Nolan!!
TGIF!!
Yes! We too have the yellow brick road. IKEA is no joke, they are not about to let you wander through the store willy-nilly. They have an orderly route for you to take, and I would expect nothing less 🙂
Forgot to mention that finger puppets are in Ikea between potted plants and meatballs!!!!
Is that’s IKEA’s slogan now? It’s a good one. I think the 365 sq ft. room you described was my old house (minus the tennis courts). Definitely love the IKEA, but what’s even better is ordering from them & having your 11 y.o. son put the furniture together. Keeps him occupied for three days! (P.S. I too love Jessica @ Welcome to the Bundle).
I don’t think it’s officially IKEA’s slogan, but I will pitch it to them and most likely we’ll be seeing it in their brochures come winter. Oh and I love that your 11 year old is in charge of putting your furniture together! I’d have Nolan give it a shot, but he still has trouble sitting unassisted.
Oh my god, seeing that Peekaboo book with that little girl – we had the exact same edition — just gave me shivers and chills and tingles of nostalgia. We wore that book out my daughter loved it so much at your son’s age! Have you discovered a book called Baby Faces yet? it’s like cocaine for 11 month olds.
Hmm we have a baby faces book, but a crappy one. My guess is it’s not the cocaine one!
I am so weak …. Now my 6 months old baby owns an alphabet mat and the peeckaboo book 🙁
More to follow I’m sure !
my goal for my French- American baby is to discover America through an all American “Kennedy hairs like” baby : Nolan will be the one 😉