Suggest a schedule?

Calling all mommies - I am looking for advice on how to adjust Rece's schedule to move his bedtime up. You would think I could figure this out....But I am having trouble determining how to keep building in the solids and begin to move up the bedtime. Any suggestions and sample schedules you used would be appreciated! Here is his current schedule/pattern that we have been on for a couple of months. We aren't anal about it, but these are the general times. He has 5 feedings a day and takes 4 naps, usually 2 are an hour or more and the other two are about 45 mins each, sometimes less.

6:30am - Wakes up - We dress him, get him ready for Daycare
7am - Day Care Drop off
7:15am - Breakfast (6-7 oz + cereal)
8:30 - Morning Nap
9:30 - Wakes up - Playtime
10:30 - Bottle #2 (6 oz) - fruit
11:30 - Mid-Day Nap
1:pm - Wakes up playtime
2pm - Bottle #3 (6-7 oz)
3:30 - Nap
4:15 - Wakes up plays
5pm - Bottle #4 (5 oz) Cereal + Veggie
6pm - Eve nap
7pm - Wakes up (sometimes we have to wake him up here sometimes he only sleeps 30 mins)
8pm - Last bottle (6-7 oz)
In bed and sleeping at 9.

I would like to get him in bed and sleeping around 8 and eliminate the last catnap. He just seems like he is really tired by bedtime and needs to go to bed earlier. Not sure if I should move some of the feedings to do this or what. Dr. said not to reduce the amt of formula (he takes about 32 oz a day) but I also don't want to flood him if he goes to bed earlier by shrinking the times between feedings. Not sure what to expect either as he gets older and starts wanting more solids - will he eventually drop a bottle feeding? Just wondering what other mom's have seen/done.

Rece's first baseball game!

Last week we took Rece to a State College Spikes game, the local Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Some of Jeremy's baseball buddies from his county league team had tickets so we met them there. They share their stadium with Penn State Baseball and it is just across from the Football Stadium. As you can see he started off and ended the night the same way....sleepy...

6 months and counting

Rece was 6 months old just over a week ago, and since then we have had our check up at the Dr. and the dreaded shots. He was 28 inches long (90th percentile) and 18lbs (50th percentile). We have started solids and he is a pro at eating like a big boy. From about the second bite off the spoon it was old hat. He has had rice, sweet potatoes and carrots thus far and squash and then green beans are next on the docket. I am going to wait a good while longer before I do fruits because if he is anything like his momma his sweet tooth will kick in and that is ALL he will want. Here are some other stats bullet style:

-Rolls over both ways

-Sits up pretty well, still a little wobbly

-Lots of babble and some "yelling" when he wants your complete attention

-Has just started getting on hands and knees and rocking back and forth, this is creating some sleeping issues, as he rolls onto his belly he then gets up on all fours and just starts rocking. Apparently the best time to do this is before naps and at 5:30 in the morning. Half the time we find him doing this half asleep. Or he gets going before a nap and won't stop and go to sleep.

-Grabs onto toys with both hands and reaches and rakes them in.

-Scoots backward on his tummy notsomuch forward.

-Has two bottom teeth!


Overall he is a REALLY happy baby. He gets cranky when he is tired but that is about it. He loves stroller rides and hanging out in his jumperoo/exerciser! He is constantly giggling and showing off those choppers! His little personality is constantly developing and he definitely knows how to woo mommy and daddy. A few pics of the 6 month milestone!

Up and Up

Not sure why I am all about the customer reviews lately but I feel the need to share in case anyone out there is thinking about trying a new brand etc. that I happen to be trying. So in my quest to find the best diaper at the cheapest price I am trying store brands. I shared about Wegmans "supreme" and they were good. But now I am onto Target's new Brand "Up and Up". Results Thus Far: Better than Wegmans. Roomier/more flexible and do not leave red marks from the elastic, better tabs/fasteners and softer and more like pampers. Plus - I got 96 diapers for the same price as 80 some Wegmans diapers and they are like 10+ bucks cheaper a box than the pampers sale price! Will continue to "test" them I am sure as we continue to embark on our solid food journey, but so far so good.

6 month update coming soon!

New Car....blah, blah, blah

So I ended up getting a new car. I thought I would be driving my Sorento, which I loved and never had a problem with until last week, for a few more years. And then I would not have a payment for a couple of years and then I would get a Volvo XC 90 or something really cool! ;-) Notsomuch....Rather I go pick up a new car tomorrow and instead of feeling excited, I am glad a bad situation is finally ending. Jeremy and I spent the entire day car shopping, we looked at Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, GM's, Kia's, Nissans, etc. etc. etc. In my mind because of all the arguing I had to do all week to no avail, I did not want a Kia, but in reality the Sorento was good to me, for the amt of miles I had on it, I put A LOT less money into it (other than preventative maint) than I did on the two Chevy's prior. So even though I am bitter I can't forget that.

Because I have owned my car for just about 4 years and I financed for 60 months - I still owed on the Sorento. Because of that, I was in a situation where I had to get a good car, with the longest bumper to bumper warranty at a good price and with some darn good financing and incentives to help me with my payoff. After all the searching, I am blah to say its a Kia again. I really didn't have a choice. I got an Optima, it gets 38-40 mpg and has a 5 year 60k warranty - bumper to bumper, which I did not have any issues with last time. It is a nice car and all, it will take me a while to get used to a car vs. an SUV, but the fact is, we only need one 4x4 vehicle.

Kia had the best financing and the best incentives as well. So because I am in a corner I didn't get to hold my grudge for long. I really wanted a Ford, but the price was higher (even with my Avery discount), the mpg was lower, the warranty was only 3yr and 36k and the incentives were half. Booooo. Oh well, it is a purchase of necessity. It will get me too and from work and Wegmans ;-) And at the end of the day, instead of sinking money into a car with 98,000+ miles, I will have a new car that will get me a long way, and I don't drive half as much as I used to. We go pick it up tomorrow. Sigh.....

BTW- No cash for clunkers, I met all criteria BUT one, you have to have the title in hand, and to do that it has to be paid off. Since cash for clunkers isn't expected to last much longer, that wasn't going to happen in time. I did get money for trade, but not much as you can imagine.Your car doesn't trade for much when half of the engine dropped out on I-80.

Ugh

This has been quite a week, my car died on the way to work last Monday and I had to wait for a tow. I mean it really died, it shook and my power steering went out and every light that could light up did. It sucked. Since then I have been without a car (I have a rental now) and last Friday Kia informed me that not only do I need a new engine, the work won't be under warranty. I do drive this car A LOT and when I lived in Michigan there were two years when I drove it 120 miles a day for work on most days. So I have 98k on it, the warranty is supposed to cover up to 100k on the engine and powertrain. NOPE - a bolt failed that was on the "exterior engine components" - it is the interior engine components and the transmission that are covered. So the story goes on and on from here and includes me spending which at this point feels like days with Kia corporate and the dealership on the phone arguing my main points (I have a list, which I won't bore you with here) but if I told you - you wouldn't want to buy a Kia. I need a whole new engine which costs more than is logical to spend. So at this point all options exhausted besides getting an attorney and going for who knows how long without a car, I am going to cut my losses and look at getting a new car. If the dealer can make it "drivable" I can qualify for 4500 for cash for clunkers and there are some good incentives. I am looking at a Ford to start.

On a positive customer service note: I am a Wegman's customer for life. Already LOVE that store, (I can only imagine it must be like the grocery stores in Heaven, since they have an espresso bar and great sushi ;-) now they have really wowed me. I was in there two weeks ago, standing in the diaper isle, contemplating the best diaper deal with the coupons I had and also debating if I wanted to try anything other than pampers which I love. Wegmans has recently come out with "Wegmans Supreme" diapers and I have thought about trying them, but you only really save when you buy the big box and that is a lot of diapers to buy if they can't hold water - so to speak. A manager happened to wander through when I was there and I just made the suggestion to him that since the diapers are new, I would love to be able to actually see what they look like etc. So he asks me what size and walks over to the self grabs a 40 pack and says "I will leave them at the customer service desk for you, if you like them you can get a box next time" - so sure enough after I paid for my groceries I picked up a free pack of diapers waiting for me at the desk. And I really like the diapers, so I indeed go back and get a box, and I made sure to find a manager and tell them that I did indeed by a box. (BTW- I am still using Pampers Baby Dry for nights)
Oh, and one other shopping/product type thing since I am on this - those Debbie whoever "Green Bags" you might have seen on TV or in the store that are supposed to keep your produce good longer - yeah, they work awesome. They get my two thumbs up as well.

Wish me luck with the car drama...