Reads of the month!

So this month has been a fun one in the McCord household. Mason turned 8 months old! He began his swimming lessons and story time has quickly moved it's way up on Mason's "favorite things to do" list. I've been reading to my little bambino ever since I was pregnant, and eight months later he is actually starting to take interest. Reading to a baby definitely has its challenges but here are a few tips that I found have worked for my little reading-bug and I:

1. REALLY emphasize fun sounds and roll playing that go along with the story
2. Pick books that have big colorful pictures
3. Keep eye contact as much as possible and use big smiles :)

Those are only a few and even when I use all of those tactics, it can still be difficult to keep baby boy's attention. I read that when a baby focuses on something for more than 30 seconds, that is equivalent to an adult concentrating on a task for 2 hours... that's a lot. And I give him props for even trying to pay attention to me. But low and behold, we are gaining interest in books and it is so exciting to me. I wouldn't recommend this unless you know you have a steady crib, but I tend to crawl into the crib with him during our story time. It's way comfortable for him and he really seems to enjoy it, so I thought, why not?! And that's been our routine ever since. Now for the fun part, our favorite books of the moment!:

Have You Seen My Dinosaur? - Dr. Seuss Beginner Book

This was the first book that I was actually able to finish all the way without having to get up and rock Mason, or feed him, or pull the book out of his mouth. So I'm going to take that as, this is one of his favorite books. It's such a cute fun book, that allows for a lot of role playing and facial expressions that babies seem to love. It has some really great illustrations as well that seemed to catch Mason's eye right off the bat! 

Baby's First Bible

We got this book for Mason in his first Easter basket and I try to touch on it, whether it's one chapter or one page, every day. As well as trying to fit it into our daily schedule, it also follows him in his diaper bag when he goes to the church nursery while Garrett and I are inside the service. I know he can't read by himself, or even grasp the concept of "reading" or "The Bible", but practice makes perfect, and instilling great faith is something that means a lot to both Garrett and I. 

Touch and Feel Animals- Disney's Baby Einstein Collection

Last but not least, Touch and Feel books! This is by far Mason's favorite this month. He loves that he can feel the different textures of animals from a duck to a turtle shell. We have read this book so often that he now knows where and when to feel the different pages. His favorite part of the book is page 3 when he can feel the kitty fur. That may be because we have two cats and he loves them, or it could be because he is a huge animal lover by nature. Either way, it is super cute to see him feeling the pages and grasping the different textures, and let me tell ya; seeing your baby learn and enhance every single day is absolutely amazing! 

Now that Mason's section is finished, let's take a look into the book that Garrett and I have been busy reading this past month!:

A Love That Multiples- Michelle & Jim Bob Duggar

Garrett and I have been reading together ever since we started dating 2.5 years ago. We don't read every night, but we try to read most. We've read the Hunger Games trilogy to books about the Holocaust (because we are both History junkies) so this time we decided to switch it up a little and pick up a book that studies mostly on parenting, faith, and family. I normally don't pick up books like this, or read books from people on TV but this one seemed different. After getting just a few chapters in, we love it! It encompasses a lot of the same practices that we want to use with Mason and gives great advice and stories along the way. Now, there's no way I could ever have 19 kids like Michelle Duggar did, but I praise her and honestly, her and my mom are exactly the type of mother I wish to be to however many children God sees fit for Gar and I. 

Here are a few more pictures of our story time! Have some stories that you and your little one love? Share the wealth and let me in on some authors and/or books that you and your babe can't seem to put down! Comment, share, or e-mail me at dresses.to.messes@gmail.com and as always, thanks for reading! :) 

Story time in the crib is the best kind of story time there is

Happy October, fellow readers!