There are only two weeks of summer left before our little guy goes back to (pre)school, and it's been three weeks since I went back to work. As we prepare for another great year, I often find myself making a mental list of all of the things we will need for school and wanted to share them with all of you, plus the items I have been using daily at the office! Many of these items we tried last year and plan on using them again this year. 

Now that our boy is over one year old and rapidly becoming an independent, busy toddler, I can look back at his first year so fondly and understand just how quickly it all went by, especially as I look forward to all of the milestones and adventures that will take place this year.
At the time, it seemed like many days of the first year went by so slowly, but now I feel like he will be two before we know it! That is probably because he is keeping me so much busier these days. As I sit and reflect on his first year,  I thought it would be a great time to share the next edition of our most used (and loved) baby products from 6-12 months with Brady. ​

How??
It's all I can think about the more it sinks in that my baby is half a year old already! It's not to say that these first six months haven't been challenging. In fact, the first two months were downright hard, painful, and emotional. Even amidst all of that, they have also been truly life changing. Seeing my baby grow and change and become his own little person is such a blessing and a privilege. One of the things that brings me peace even in the hardest moments is reminding myself of that very fact--he is growing and changing every single day, and he won't ever be this little or at this same stage again. Realizing this has also taken the pressure off of both of us to not expect so much from him, since everything about him is constantly evolving. I'm choosing not to stress about his sleep schedules or milestones, but to support and encourage him to reach each stage on his own terms and his own timeline. Seeing him reach each milestone is not the end result or a destination to simply be checked off the list, but a gift each and every day.
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On the subject of milestones, these days, he is sleeping mostly through the night in his crib, taking 3 naps per day, rolling tummy to back (and back to tummy in his crib, though we have yet to witness it outside of there), grabbing his toes and his toys, putting everything in his mouth, squealing and "chatting," standing with assistance (he prefers this over sitting), smiling as much as ever, and gives us the BEST occasional belly laugh. We love his "cool guy" hair, his adorable smiles and outgoing personality, his chunky legs, his ticklish belly (especially in the bath), and everything else about him!
I wouldn't have been able to navigate through the last six months without the help of my amazing husband/Brady's daddy, my family, our wonderful community of friends, and my faith. These products have also made our life with a baby a little bit easier.
​Below are our most used baby items from the past six months: