Bye Bye Big Baby

During the process of de-cluttering our house we also got rid of quite a few of my girl's toys, dolls and books (even FPLP!!!).  One of the toys that left our house was the much loved "Big Baby" doll.  Big Baby got her name back when my oldest was only 2.  At the time all of her dolls had inspired names like: Pink Baby, Blue Baby, Little Baby, etc.  So obviously this huge doll had to be named "Big Baby".

Big Baby was fantastic since she was big enough to wear my daughter's baby clothes and she looked like a real baby (which sometimes gave me a start when I'd come into a room and see her sitting there).

Often my daughter would insist on pushing Big Baby around in her stroller and would buckle her into the seat next to her in the car.

Big Baby was still in the house when my youngest daughter was born.  She also loved Big Baby and we took many photos of them side by side.

These are just a few of the dozens of photos we've taken over the years with our girls and Big Baby.  So you can imagine that I was a bit sentimental about this big huge doll that had been with my girls all this time.  But, following the De-Cluttering checklist I saw that it was time.

So we took one last photo of Big Baby with the girls before we donated it.  Now hopefully another little person is loving on Big Baby!

New Fisher Price Classic Toys - Baby Rattles

I recently discovered the cutest little baby rattles that look like the oh-so-familiar classic Fisher Price toys of my youth.  I am so sad that I no longer have a baby of my own to give them to. They would have been so cute connected to rings on car seats and strollers.  Sigh.  Those days are long gone but I still bought a couple and I think they'd be the best little baby shower gifts.

I bought two of the baby rattles, they are much smaller than the original toys and a bit larger than the Christmas ornament versions.  They were $3.99 and $2.98 each.

The Rock a Stack Clacker makes clacking sounds when you shake it. It looks a little like the #740 Giant Rock a Stack but mostly like the #1050 or #627 newer versions.

Next up the Roly-Poly Chime Ball that is a tiny little version of the #165 Roly Poly Chime Ball.  It chimes a bit but mostly rattles when you shake it.

It doesn't have lithographs inside like the original, but it has the same colors.

There are three other toys too including a My First Farm, Puppy Pal Clacker, Happy Apple and a Corn Popper Rattle.  I bought mine on Amazon and I've seen them at Target too.

Saying goodbye to our baby bed.

This (finally) happened today.  I've been planning on getting the girls "big-girl" bunk beds to share and I finally did it.  I ordered the bunk beds from Amazon after seeing them in person at a friend's home.  Then we picked out a new much larger dresser at IKEA (Hemnes) and a white framed mirror.  

Today I took apart the twin bed and toddler bed (crib) and prepared the room for putting in the new furniture this week.  Let's just say the vacuum was well used today after discovering almost 6 years of dust underneath!

The girl's bedroom set "Ocean" by Baby's Dream Furniture was special, the crib was designed to convert to a toddler bed and then a twin bed.  It also had a drop top rather than a drop side so it was easy and safe to get to our babies.  

We were able to successfully convert the first crib into both of those (toddler then twin) with the help of a twin kit.  For baby #2 we had another crib made by getting a few spare parts (since some had been used to make the twin bed) but were unable to make it into another twin as the conversion set was no longer available by Baby's Dream.  So my sweet 4.5 year old needs a big girl bed as she's outgrown the toddler size.

Which leads us to the need for bunk beds and all my work taking apart the toddler bed/twin bed today.  I must admit that taking them apart was MUCH easier than putting them together.  All that assembling (and disassembling) over the years was quite aggravating and a test in patience for my husband and me.  However, I found myself getting a bit emotional as I took apart the crib for the (final) time.  So many sweet memories in that crib/toddler bed of both of my babies.  

So this evening I took a look down memory lane at the photos of this set over the years.

First up the nursery decorated and ready for my first daughter's arrival.  I LOVED decorating this nursery for her. 

This sweet little face joined our family and started sleeping in her crib (at night) around 4 months of age.  She didn't sleep well next to me in the co-sleeper and did much better in her crib at night although I joined her many many times a night for feedings and to calm her. :)

When my big girl was 2 and a 1/2 we moved to a new house and had her crib turned into a toddler bed.  It was a little early but I didn't want to do the job myself (the movers did it) as dropping the mattress had been difficult enough!

Then about a year later we prepared to add a new baby girl to our family so we turned the toddler bed into a twin and made another crib after ordering a few additional parts/pieces.

Big sister loved it!

Little sister arrived but did not sleep in this bed at night until she was over one.  She slept in my closet instead. :)  She did visit from time to time though and looked terribly cute.

Big Sister

Little Sister

Eventually she did join her big sister in the room.  Sweet baby girl.

At almost 4 years old we removed the crib side for little sister and turned it into a toddler bed again.  She loved her big girl bed!

Which brings us to tonight.  The girls are sleeping on their mattresses on the floor and later this week new beds!

I'll update with the new room once it's finished. And if you know anyone who could use a well loved crib/twin bed and dresser set let me know.

Throwback Thursday - Recreating Little Besties

4 year old besties

2 month old besties

Had to recreate these precious little poses.  We have so many lovely photos of these two over the last 4 years (plus pregnancy).  One of my biggest blessings has been sharing pregnancy and now mothering (2nd child for both of us) with my bestie.  I am glad that our littles actually love each other too!  

And not to leave out big brother (big sister was at school) here's another shot.

It's hard recreating little people photos!  I look forward to doing these poses again when they're teenagers. ;)

Go here to see these littles on the same beanbag chair in 2013. 

My pre-schooler is finally in a toddler bed!

We've (finally) reached a new stage in our house.  As of this weekend our youngest is no longer sleeping in a crib.  She is now officially in a toddler bed aka: bed that she can escape from.


It should come as no surprise to you that our child is almost 4 and just now transitioning into a toddler bed.  She did sleep in my closet until age 2 after-all. ;)

I would have kept her in the crib longer (until college!) but I had to recognize that this was the right time.  With summer vacation trips coming up she'd be in regular beds anyway, so it seemed like a good idea to practice at home first.

She is very proud and fortunately for us she is staying in her new bed (so far!!) without night wandering.

The downside to waiting this long until switching the crib to a toddler bed is that she's practically outgrown it!  We'll need to be looking for a twin size soon.  

Our wonderful Baby's Dream convertible crib was designed to go from a crib to a toddler bed to a twin bed.  We switched big sister's bed when little sister was born.  However, I waited too long to order the transition kit for this second crib and now they don't make it anymore!  So learn from me, order your transition kits at the time of our crib purchase.   

On the bright side I'm thinking that we may look for bunk beds for our girls to share.

But before I start online shopping can we just take a minute to see how cute my little girl was back when her bed was a crib (although she was just visiting, she didn't sleep in there, ha!).

I miss that little face!

Fisher Price Friday - Click 'n Clatter Car

The Click 'n Clatter Car #417 was made between 1976-1981.  This Fisher Price baby toy was designed for little ones ages 6 months - 2 years old (but shhh, don't tell my 3.5 year old b/c she still loves to play with it!).  This simple toy came with a Jumbo Little person which was easier for babies to hold and didn't have the pesky choking hazard problem of the regular little people. ;)

The plastic car held one driver and had bright red plastic wheels and a moving blue/yellow colored ball on the front. The red wheels can be moved around like an old rotary telephone dial (with the child's finger) or rolled on the ground like a car.  Either way the wheels make a clicking noise when moved.

The Click 'n Clatter Car came with one Jumbo Little Person.  There were at least two variations, a couple are shown in this photo.  Both were refereed to as "babies".

The beauty of this Click 'n Clatter Car is that there is no right side-up.  It works just fine either way, so a small child could easily operate it!  One side of the car had an imprint in the plastic of a happy puppy as well as the words Fisher-Price.

The other side of the car has an imprint of a happy bear holding three balloons as well as the words Fisher-Price.

The back of the Clatter Car has a lithograph that reads right side-up no matter which side is up.  It says Click 'N Clatter and has multicolored streamers and dots.  This lithograph is often missing in well worn/loved cars.

I've been a fan of this toy since I first received it as a Christmas present in 1977.  That's me playing with the toy while sitting in my mom's lap.  I'm also keeping a close eye on my big sister who is holding the little person figure.

Such an easy and simple toy, I love seeing my little girl play with the same one I did many years ago.  So fun!

For more Jumbo Little People check out: 

Discovery Cottage 136 

Poppity Pop Car #1011
Floating Family #411
Tub Tug and Barge #120

Fisher Price Friday - Roly Poly Chime Ball

I've got a simple little classic baby toy to share today on Fisher Price Friday.  I have been looking for one of these chime balls in the wild (ie- garage sales, thrift stores, etc) for quite awhile now and finally got my hands on two at the same time!

The Roly Poly Chime Ball #165 was made from 1967-1985.  There were two other chime balls; the #162 Roly Poly Boat Chime and the #1150 Chime Ball, a smaller version of the #165.  The balls all have plastic tops and solid bottoms that are weighted so the toy part stays upright.  It is airtight so can be used in the water or on land.  However, I've seen many photos of very worn chime balls with fogged up/smoky looking insides so I'm not sure that they remain airtight over the years!

I love this toy because it has such a soft chime sound.  My girls like to watch it roll all around bowling ball style (yikes!).  It reminds me of the Happy Apple #435 that we also have but the chime ball is little quieter.

The inside of the ball has four rocking toys; two swans and two horses.  The center of the ball has lithographs of shrubs, trees, birds and butterflies.  Underneath the rocking animals the green and brown colored base has many little flowers.  I love the details!

My girls are almost too big for this little toy but it says birth to 4 years old so I guess we'll keep it around for a little longer. :)

 For other vintage Fisher Price Baby Toys Check Out:

Baby's First Blocks #414

Shake 'n' Roll Rattle #451

Happy Apple #435 

Floating Family #411

Squeak and Peak Sailor #415

Fisher Price Friday - Squeak & Peek Sailor

Happy Friday!  We just returned from our trip last night and I am up to my ears in unpacking, laundry, Vintage Little People Etsy shop orders, and acclimating back to the desert heat (yikes!).  So you'll have to forgive me if I just show you a quick little baby toy today. :)

The Squeak & Peek Sailor #415 is a too-cute baby/toddler toy that was made between 1984-1992.  It's a simple toy but has a few fun features.

The blue base has a suction cup that is perfect to attach to a high chair, side of the tub or any hard surface.  There was at least one other version of this toy in which the suction cup/pole was yellow instead of blue.

The toy has a rattle inside and the yellow life vest spins around.  Last but not least there is a red button on top that makes a squeaking sound.

My little girl is almost 3 but she still enjoys this little toy at meal time.  I just wish we'd had it when she was smaller (designed for 6 to 24 months).

For other vintage Fisher Price Baby Toys Check Out:

Baby's First Blocks #414

Shake 'n' Roll Rattle #451

Happy Apple 

Floating Family #411

Fisher Price Friday - Baby's First Blocks

 

This sweet baby toy was not my Toddler's first blocks, but they are her current favorite!  Baby's First Blocks #414 is a baby toy designed for kids age 6mo - 2 years and was made from 1977-1988.  All of the pieces are plastic and very durable.  The set was redesigned in 1989 and switched to #1024/#71024 but at closer inspection the container and blocks changed quite a bit.

The set came with a drum with removable blue lid and 12 plastic blocks.  The blocks came in blue, red, green and yellow.  They are in three shapes: circle, square and rectangle.  Most of the blocks are exclusive to this set except the red circle and blue square (#412 Shape Sorter & #1008 Toddler Kitchen).  As well as the yellow rectangle (#412 Shape Sorter)

The blocks can stack on themselves to make towers or be placed in the bucket through the correct shaped cutouts.  My daughter likes to take turns with me putting them inside.  Both of my girls like to use this as a tub toy!  Since there are no lithographs or holes for water to get inside (the blocks) it's perfect!

For more baby toys check out:

Shake 'n' Roll Rattle #451

Happy Apple 

Floating Family #411

And for more block fun:

Creative Coaster #987

Creative Blocks #666