Things she can't live without...

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now...I guess since she turned 12 months and I began struggling with what "table food" Scout could/would/should eat. That's where it started...then I've also recently been introduced to other things that my good mamma-friend Lori was giving to her kids! SO MUCH LEARNING! SO MUCH FUN!

So here's a list of the top ten things Scout eats/loves on a daily basis:

1. Yo Gabba Gabba...we have about 22 episodes (currently) of this wonderful, hit-or-miss kiddie show on our DVR at the moment. She loves all the characters, the songs, the cartoons, and is also learning some valuable lessons. The songs DO get stuck in your head as a parent, but they are all about great things...and the "Naptime" song has come in handy on more than one occasion in this household. AND the website is FUN.

2. Rubber snake... When J and I got hitched, my bro and sis-in-law-to-be gave us a box full of camping gear. Complete with a rubber snake. So, to the mortification of my mother, we kept it in the kid's toy box in our hall closet (the toys we kept for our neice and nephew). Now...it is Scout's BEST FRIEND. She gives him drinks of juice/milk/water, covers him with blankets and pushes him around in her dolly's stroller.

3. Ducky...The stuffed animal (it's really a chick, but don't tell her that) duck that my parents gave her at Easter has quickly become her night-time safety item. It's so huggable and has the most elastic-y arms and snuggly fur...I kinda want one for me. This goes hand-in-hand with her pink and white striped blanket from Pottery Barn Kids. Heaven forbid if I walk off and leave this thing in the washer or dryer...she will not sleep without it.

4. First Juice...This stuff is great. It comes in four great flavors (I'm assuming the purple one and the peach ones are just as great as the other two we've tried...it's hard to find around here) and has 1/2 the sugar of regular apple juice. Plus, it has some veggies in there AND comes in GREAT single-serving juice bottles that WILL NOT LEAK EVER. Also, the bottle is BPA free and safe to re-use. Great for car-rides and grandparent's houses.

5. Vado video camera...okay, this one is for us...but still, it has been great! We love catching all of her HD moments on this handy-dandy, pocket-sized, fancy-smancy camera. It's been Jay's gadget of the year.

6. Amy's organic kids meals...including pizza, Annie's Organic mac-and-cheese and Earth's Best chef-boyardee-esque raviolis. These are awesome...and I feel much less guilty about heating this stuff up for Scout when in a pinch. Recently...the greatest thing EVER to happen in the history of me-being-a-parent...was the night when we all sat down to a dinner of roasted veggie lasagna...and all were satisfied. With. the. same. meal.

7. Pirate's booty and/or Smart Puffs. These things go anywhere and everyone likes them. They are healthy snacks for kiddos and parents, alike. You can buy them in bulk-sized bags at Costco and they are especially easy for little tikes who only have a couple of teeth to gnaw on...much safer alternative to goldfish crackers. The cheese flavor is (of course) a big hit...but surprisingly, Scout LOVES the green veggie flavor.

8. Really awesome bath toys...J's aunt found these water toys for Scout and we LOVE them. Every time the bathwater starts...we get a high-pitched "squeeeeee!" It's a series of four cups that hang from hooks on a suction cup bar thing. I should just take a picture. One of the cups is the "dump cup" you use to fill up the other three cups. One has holes in the bottom of it like a tiny strainer. Another one is like a water wheel that spins and the third has a spicket you can turn off and on. She would spend HOURS in the tub playing with these things.

9. Little Einstein's ride-on. This thing is great. Yeah, the noise gets a little much at times...but whatever. She loves it, and it makes her happy. Every little button does something, and if we ever miss the remote...we just look under the seat of this little scooter, b/c that's usually where it is hidden. We've only had one tiny accident on this scooter...where she was sitting on it backwards and scooting...and ran into her rubber snake. She toppled over the back of it and got a fat lip...and subsequently a Mott's frozen apple juicepop.

10. YoBaby yogurt/yogurt and cereal. Unhappy baby? Open this stuff up. With less sugar than you might think, this stuff tastes like cake batter. Cream on top and fruit and grains all in the mix, you just can't go wrong. Half a banana or some blueberries go great with the vanilla or banana flavors and Scout will eat it all day long. We have to be careful not to leave these on the bottom shelf of the fridge b/c if she sees them...she goes for them.