I thought it was about time for a second edition of mom's must haves. It's been almost five months of learning what works and what doesn't, and I'd have to say, we're getting pretty good at our new roles! It gets easier every day to figure out Noelle's quirks, which is good because she changes just about every day!

In the first edition I talked about my love for our Graco 2-in-1 swing/bouncer, and my Ergobaby carrier. I still fully love these items but, Noelle doesn't use the swing as much anymore, but I detach it all the time to bring her into the kitchen or bathroom with me. We're at a bit of an awkward stage in the carrier currently. She's almost too big to sit with her legs underneath herself, but isn't quite big enough for them to be comfortable around my waist. None the less, I would still highly recommend both of these items.

Noelle has some teeth under her gums starting to make an appearance. While this doesn't seem to bother her too much, she puts almost anything in her mouth. Funny though, she prefers anything cloth over something more firm - besides our fingers and her hand. Noelle loves chewing on knitted, stuffed animals. I'm not talking furry things here, only things that are knit. She will chew on them all day! I recently had to remove plush Sophie because she's getting a hole in her neck, and I need to fix her up with some stitches. She also loves burp cloths, to play with and chew on. I've tried giving her teething rings, teething "keys" and even Sophie, but they don't seem to keep her interest as much as something knit. So strange!

Our other favorite item right now is her walker/dj booth. We love this thing, and Noelle goes crazy for it too! Our favorite feature of this is the keyboard, no doubt. Noelle loves to stand, so the fact that she can be upright by herself if fantastic, but the keyboard is awesome! It gives her some stimulation besides her rattles or squeaky toys, and she gets very excited over the music. To top it off, the keyboard is removable so she can play with it when she's not in the "booth" too. This girl is going to be a music lover just like her dad.

The Boppy has also recently become a favorite of mine. I didn't use it too much for nursing/feeding, but we use it all of the time now. We do tummy time, and sit in the Boppy frequently.

Finally, I'd have to say my last favorite item are her stuffed animal blankets. She has three, and we kinda rotate all of them. We always give her one in the car seat. She also loves chewing on them (duh), and napping with them. Two of them are fleece on one side, and silky on the other. I  think she likes the different textures, because she's always putting them on her face.

Hopefully you can use some of these tips one day, and if not I hope you enjoyed the video of Noelle jamming out in her dj booth!

Updated 5.1.2013

In my 'Noelle's Fourth Month' post, I mentioned that she likes giraffes. Somehow in all of our coordinating, decorating, and buying things in the theme of owls and birds, a giraffe snuck in there, and now it's her favorite animal.

First, for being such a brave girl at her two month check up, Nene and Da got her a plush giraffe rattle from the Wynn. She totally loves this toy. I had originally named him Mr. Raffe (I'm not creative), but soon that changed.

Noelle's buddy Mr. Raffe

Two months later, before our vacation to Florida (keep staying tuned, I will post about this), I decided to get Noelle a new toy to entertain her during our flight. Every kid has to have a Sophie Giraffe from Paris, right? I found a deal for a Sophie + giraffe Wubbanub (pacifier) and was sold!

Giraffe Wubbanub is a soothing companion during takeoff

Sophie from Paris in Florida

Mr. Raffe soon became plush Sophie, and giraffe Wubbanub did too (well, he's just Sophie).

Eating Plush Sophie's ears

Eating Sophie from Paris' ears

While plush Sophie is a rattle, Sophie squeaks when you squeeze her. To make our lives more chaotic  squeeze Sophie when Halas is near, and he'll grab her by the neck and claim her as his! Not to worry, she gets thoroughly sanitized before she's returned to Noelle, and she puts Sophie right into her mouth. Luckily Halas hasn't made it too far with her! Plush Sophie also gets a good bath on a weekly basis since Noelle likes to eat her ears. Sophie (of the Wubbanub variety) is the calmest of the three, and only hangs out with Noelle at bedtime. However, he can be found being used as a helicopter to try and propel her right out of her crib at night : )

Playing with both Sophies

Plush Sophie is a great cuddler

Wanting to get in on the giraffe theme myself, I couldn't resist these $20 shoes from the Gap!

This summer I can assure you we will go to the zoo so Noelle can see a real live giraffe in person. And, don't look at us funny when we refer to them as Sophie, ok?