music...

TOGETHER! Hello to "flip flops" so glad to see you... Hello to "baby boat shoes" so glad to see you... Hello everybody, so glad to see you... Hello everybody, so glad to see youuuuu! Experiencing a music group as a mom, not as a clinician, was a new experience. Before we began, I made a point to remind myself to be baby boat shoes mom... and oh what a JOY it was! One of my favorite moments after the "hello song" was when my sweet WCL crawled away from the group...and what followed... Of course, my first thought was, "let me go scoop him up and bring him back!" However, I paused, reminded myself to let him "be"... continued singing and patting the floor to the beat and sure enough, in about 15 seconds he turned, smiled wide and crawled right back. What a wonderful, supportive environment... where babies can come and go, crawl and toddle away and come right back as they are ready! It was a simple group. Simple songs. Simple beats. Simple stomps, pats, bounces and buzzes. WCL loved every second. Smiling, laughing, cooing, crawling, snuggling... it was true baby JOY. Have a little one and thinking about a music group? GO FOR IT, you won't regret it.

well well well...

As some of you have noticed, William's World is flourishing. Pictures and expressions, movement and wishes, moments and memories.... Flips Flops and Boat Shoes has been resting.... BUT NOW.... we are BACK! To catch you up since the last post, there has been a lot of change in the Flip Flops and Boat Shoes world... ~Boat Shoes was offered an awesome opportunity with his new company to move South... at the very end of my maternity leave ~We traveled to Charlotte, NC looked at 21 homes in 3 days and decided on one lovely home that we adore ~I left a job that I ADORED with patients and families that taught me more than I will ever be able to articulate ... to move back down south to my roots ... bitter sweet. ~We moved. With a 5 month old. Yes, that was an adventure (see William's world for photos) ~We began living the "home office, but traveling alot" world for boat shoes and SAHM for flip flops. SAHM = Stay at Home Mom. aka: what I imagined would be the DREAM. ~SAHM world: pool time, meet new friends and baby time, library story time, play time, nap time, unpacking... mind you, when you list it out it looks lovely; however, I was MISSING my patients, adult interaction, these things didn't happen every day and I needed a little something more... for me and for WCL to interact with some little friends his own age! ~enter... "everything happens for a reason" adventure... MY NEW WORLD. Teaching children about literature, reading stories, creating adventures with words and loving every minute. So this blog is not only going to continue with the many adventures of Flip Flops, Boat Shoes and baby boat shoes... but with little sprinklings of ideas and suggestions for Children's Literature and instilling a love of reading in children at a young age! stay tuned...

high up in the sky

the comments before our trip to Naples were comical and contradictory...

~what? fly with a 6 week old, you are crazy!
~I would NEVER fly with a newborn

~Good for you! You are one brave mom!
~Way to go, what an adventure!


I have to admit, leading up to our Naples adventure I was thinking both, "this is crazy!" and "what a great adventure for William and for me... it will build character!"

I am happy to report that flying on Southwest with a newborn was flawless. Flawless. What a great word to be able to state about an experience with a newborn.

Let me paint a picture for you~ Carseat bag for the carseat and base. Stroller. 3 suitcases. breast pump bag (carry on). diaper bag (carry on). mom's back pack (carry on). mom's purse (carry on). William (carry on!).

Boat shoes helped us get checked in curb side so mom flip flops and I were able to go through security with just William and our carry on baggage. I was pleasantly surprised how kind, helpful and accommodating security was on both ends of the trip.

You can bring as much liquid as you need for an infant which is very helpful when breastfeeding. I brought 3, 4 oz bottles ready which is ALOT of milk for a short amount of time (3 hour flight), but I wanted to be prepared, just in case. I wondered, why can I bring fluid and others can't? Well neat thing about the TSA, they actually scan the milk to see the structure of the fluid to make sure that it is safe. Kind of impressive.

The flights were also both "almost" flawless! The way to Naples, William had a pretty unbelievable diaper situation... thankfully they dont smell when you are nursing... and I have to say I will ALWAYS use pampers diapers. Not one little bit came out... which was a great thing because mom of the year here forgot one critical item in the diaper bag...

a change of clothes for a newborn.

My favorite moment, mom flip flop says, "well its ok, I mean you clearly have extra outfits" .. and I casually state, "yeahhh in his checked suitcase. Woooops!"
However, thanks be to pampers for their fabulous design and my woops didnt event matter!


One of my other favorite moments was on the way back from naples~ an early evening flight is a perfect time for happy hour, right?! Well our wonderful flight attendant brought boat shoes and I our wine in a cup with a lid and a straw. Kind of like a sippy cup of wine... he giggled as he handed it over and just simply said, "It will be easier with the baby." We said CHEERS and enjoyed our glass of wine, and baby boat shoes didnt get any wine dripped on his precious little self!


So all in all... amazing trip, great experience, totally built confidence and character...and my tips are..

1. pack an extra set of clothes just in case
2. curb check everything and carry the baby
3. bring along a baby carrier like the ergo baby just in case you are the last gate
4. bring as much milk as you need, be ready for it to be scanned
5. enjoy happy hour and if you are lucky, you might get a lid and straw (check WIlliams world for pictures!)

our "after" favorites...

As promised... we have a little list of favorites for you now that baby boat shoes has been here 6 weeks!


1. Pampers - diaper of choice for now! 

**still our top pick... love the indicator for a wet diaper!

2. Bonkie swaddle - so soft, so snuggly and so EASY! 

**however, if your little one likes one arm out when swaddled... it doesnt work as well... we like these for swaddling these days. easy to use, comfy and you can swaddle arms down, up or one up and one down!

3. Little Giraffe blanket - again, so soft, so snuggly and will be perfect for chilly Winter. Packed and ready in the hospital bag. 

**still love it but boat shoes gets a little uncertain about the silky side that baby boat shoes will slip out ;)

4. Dr. Browns bottles - everything I read and everything I have heard RAVES about these bottles even for babies who primarily nurse. we shall see! 

**If you are a nursing mom and want to intro bottles... get these! we tried the tommy tippee and for a baby who loves to nurse and loves to eat, he drank so fast that boat shoes had to stop him every minute... dr. browns help regulate and no gulping!

5. hooded pottery barn kids towel - could it be cuter? our little guy will be snuggled in the adorable frog 

**love them love them love them! and love the wash cloths.. they are a little thicker than the typical baby wash cloth which is nice to keep one on his belly during bath time to keep him warm!

6. aden and anais anything! - the blankets, burp cloths and bibs are SO SO soft, snuggly and PRACTICAL 

**Love them as well! we use the blankets daily!

7. whale tub - Our best little buddy EG loves hers and we know that baby boy boat shoes will too! 

**we havent gotten to use it yet but cousin Sam loved it!

8. puj tub - genious for newborn bathing and traveling... Naples what?! 

**It is a dream to bathe a little punkin in this... not too much water, just enough padding and no slip!

9. sophie for the bath - the perfect bath toy 

**We are still focused on singing and splashing, getting used to the bath but one day, we will love her!

10. chicco key fit caddy - the car seat snaps in perfectly, its chic, rolls well and EASY to fold... did I mention it only weighs 8 pounds? 

**A MUST HAVE for any Chicco car seat owner! Dont buy the big travel system... invest in this and a great running stroller!

11. regular Sophie - apparently the best toy in the world...I know Lilly and Murphy like to hear it squeak 

**baby boat shoes likes to suck on Sophie's nose at this point, lets see how the relationship evolves!

12. Chicco key fit 30 car seat - safe, reliable, chic, easy to carry, snaps into bases and key fit caddy with ease and did I mention safe?! 

**Love it... and love the way it snaps into all of the bases!

13. navy blue BOB revolution WITH handlebar console - with the car seat adapter our little one can go on great walks and once he is a little bigger can bop right in the stroller, the shocks are amazing, it handles beautifully and the cup holders are perfect for any type of beverage. 

**FAVORITE!!! A must have!

additional favorites...


14. soothies pacifiers from the hospital - they use them in the newborn nursery for a reason, they are wonderful


15. the moby wrap - for those snuggly days when little one just wants to be held all day, for walks and for bopping around... wonderful. Just watch the video online and its easy breezy!


16. soothing sounds cloud B giraffe - perfect for the white noise that every book and every mom blog raves about!


17. a must have for every nursing mom...


18. my favorite nursing cover... there are some with ruffles but I went simple :)


19. purell. flu season.. newborn baby.. a must have!


20. video monitor... we debated this one and are so glad we have the video. Its great to see what it is that is causing the melt down.. lost the pacy, unswaddled or just mad!

a precious little one...

We had the most amazing photographer come to our home to capture our precious little one... ENJOY!

Click the logo below to access the photos. The password is: cheers