Adventure in Eating (continued....)

Hi Friends! 

I've begun the long and gratifying road of outsmarting my baby when it comes to sneaking food she should be eating into her diet (and onto her plate!) 

She used to be a great little eater and would try anything at least once. Then she turned into a consistency snob. Now, if she doesn't like the look, feel, color or taste of something she furiously shakes her head, stares me down and then bangs her tray until it falls on the ground. This proved to be incredibly frustrating since I'm usually doing 10 other things at the same time. Then at the end of last week I started ignoring her and even though she did the same routine she started trying some of the hated morsels. That's progress! 

I also looked up ways to sneak more veggies into her diet. She only wants to feed herself so purees don't work for her. That being said, she also doesn't like to handle smooshy veggies. I made her two types of butternut squash (that I blogged about last week)--both were rejected. I ended up reading a tip to put it in a quesadilla with black beans, cheese and avocado (another food she won't touch). Surprise, surprise--today she ate it! She just lapped it up like a brand new puppy! It was perfection. 

She even smiled. The knowing smile that says, "yes, I know you slipped forbidden veggies in here Mom....hence, I don't care. Just knowing you know is enough for me. That is all"

(and then she combed her messy hands through her hair in retaliation knowing I'd be on bath duty next---she's always one step ahead)

Next up: Omelet. I finally got her to eat a hard boiled egg when I gave her citrus fruit first (her fave!) and slipped in pieces of yolk. Hey, they're all yellow--cool!

If you have more tips send them my way!

xoxo.
S

Time Change Adjustments

Hi Friends- 

I'm not sure if I'm the only one who completely underestimated how hard that time change would be on myself and Isla-pants. I was just going about my merry way yesterday when I felt like I got sucker punched. That could have had something to do with the fact that Isla missed the "FALLING BACK" memo and sprang forward by an hour--awesome. She was up at 5:50. When I tried to nurse her back to sleep and she patted me on the back and squealed...she might as well have been congratulating me on my valiant effort but laughing in my face..."A for Effort MOM!" After fighting naps all day she was a bit of a mess by 6:00....which I soon realized was actually 5pm since our clocks weren't turned back---DAMMIT! We hit the road at 6:30 for a "mommy-needs-a-drink" beer run. 

and then she gave me this look which only verified that she knew what I was up to. Judgmental much?

Last night was a mess--she was up every 3 hours but thankfully went back to sleep pretty quickly even if I had to rock her a couple times. Today was a little better but she only slept 30 minutes on her 10am nap and then did this......

She's like a cat--she likes to unroll that toilet paper with both paws batting at it furiously.

Needless to say the 2nd nap was guaranteed and I was determined to stick with it and get us back on a schedule. She went down within 10 minutes and then woke up after 20 - her MO. I swear if it was up to her she'd take two 20-30 minute naps a day and terrorize my life from 5-7 until she went to bed. Instead, I comforted her and she went back down for another hour nap.

 This is her sleeping....she jammed all her monkey stuffies up against the bars. She woke up super thrilled- yay for good naps! ... and she went to bed right on time tonight and is sleeping soundly. I'm really hoping this is the start of us getting back on our schedule. #goodnessplease.

and now....I'll go clean up after the feline  baby.

Hope everyone's having a great night.

xoox.
S

Confession. I Fail.

Hi Friends.

I have a confession.....and I would only admit this to fellow Mamas out there because I know you'll understand....so here goes:

Today, Isla has been a total&complete TERRORIST! Lets just say she's wrapped her arms around the whole "9.month mental leap/sleep-eat regression" and given it a big old bear hug. It's that bad.

I started off my day by offering her breakfast which ended up on the floor and in her hair. She finally had a couple bites of yogurt and toast. Then she threw a total fit in her high chair as I cleaned up her tray. She "decided" she's now scared of the bathtub...she likes the water but only to stand in..which was an issue since I put her in there to remove the yogurt and rinse her sad (and bleeding, eek!) diaper rash -- poor lady! I felt so bad for her I let her crawl around without a diaper while I got her room ready for a nap ... and then she peed on the floor. That's the first time (keep track please). She then proceeded to nap for 30 mins before crying for 15 and not successfully putting herself back to sleep. I finally conceded and got her up and offered her a cracker. She threw it on the floor, threw up her toast which resembled a large loaf of bread (how is that possible?!!), had 2 messy poos (that's a really CLEAN way to describe them) and then when she peed on the floor again...and I yelled "FU-ddddgee!" .... but it wasn't the dessert. It was the real deal.

Then....dead silence.

You could have cut the tension with a really dull butter knife.

I wish one of those crop duster planes would have flown by her nursery window with a big, long, whipping banner that said, "YOU FAIL!! MAMA FAIL!! fa-la-la-la-la"

I grabbed a rag, cleaner and sunk onto the floor. As I scrubbed my girl moved towards me very slowly. I knew she wasn't quite sure what was next because it's not often I really "lose my sh*t" in front of her. When she came over and reached out to hold onto my shoulder and I finally reciprocated looking her in the eye (which I couldn't do until I truly had my head back on straight!) ....she smiled.

And maybe that's the beauty of today....I learned that this morning sucked....it just did but I can repair it. I haven't ruined today. I haven't ruined our Thursday, her first Halloween or more importantly, my baby girl.

I feel bad about scaring her (although I'm sure it won't be the first time I really lose it!)...dropping the F-bomb (please let that be the last time) .....and for feeling like she had any control over the situation. The funny thing is, I probably wouldn't change anything--I'd still let her crawl her nakey buns around for a couple mins to help her diaper rash and unfortunately pee is just gonna happen sometimes (which makes me very good friends with household cleaner).

I learned that she forgives...pretty instantly even. I provide her structure and balance...and even when I lose it she sees that I can rein it back in and move forward. I'm determined to turn our day around when she gets up from her nap. It will be time for her first Halloween! Time to get dressed up, maybe take 2 bites of dinner (we're focusing on little milestones around here) and lots of pictures. At least I don't need to dress up to be a 'frazzled Mama' :)

Happy Halloween Everyone!

xo.
S

Picky.Picky

Hi Friends! 

When I went to Isla's 9.month doctor's appointment two weeks ago her Doctor warned that around this time many kiddos start to get more independent. They go through a sleep regression--who wants to sleep when you're learning to walk?!! Makes sense right? They recognize object permanence, have separate anxiety (Hello, Stranger Danger....Yes, Isla screamed at the nice lady in Walgreens who complimented her crazy hair) and they begin to get more assertive about their food...which is where I'm at tonight. 

Isla is not only in a sleep regression which is out to ruin all the progress I've made in finishing my photography season and catching up with my life....she also does this super fun new thing where she shakes her head and spits out food...very dramatically I may add. She is not a willing participant to try new things and she now loves nothing more than throwing food on the floor. Especially....ESPECIALLY when she's done eating. 

This video was from dinner tonight. Please note the head shake. #totalattitude. 

My adventurous Little Eater has turned into a total snob about her meals! The funny thing is that there's no rhyme or reason to what she turns away. Today she ate noodles with pesto sauce (which was super garlicky I might add) but threw her hard boiled egg (that she used to eat) right on the ground. She loves fruit- especially citrusy ones, tofu (even uncooked) and snack crackers/puffs. She has recently been struggling with veggies: peas and beans (she bites into them and spits them out), mashed potatoes, avocado....I even prepared butternut squash two ways tonight (steamed and roasted) and she hated both. I ended up tricking her into taking a bite by putting a sprinkle of mozzarella on it- that's real. Who can blame a girl for loving yummy cheese?! .... even if she did only take 2 bites.

 Don't anyone worry--I won't be converting her to a fruit only diet! I'll keep putting the veggies on her tray and maybe one day she'll give them a try again. I'm just hoping it's sooner than later. There's nothing more annoying than running around to prep a dinner for her and us at the same time while washing dishes (I'm a big multi-tasker!) and watching her chuck her meal straight on the floor and melt down into a fit.

Gotta love 9 months! (Bring on 10--PLEASE bring on 10! :)

xoxo.
S

checking in

Hi Friends!

Had to check in and tell you I'm still here! Sorry I've been so MIA--I had to wrap up my Photography season and we've been busy with the holidays. I'm so excited to celebrate them with Isla- bring it on!! I'm behind on my 9.month Isla post but had to put up this pic--this is pretty much what 9.months looks like.

and this girl :) ...........Happy 9.months Isla James. You rock our world!



More posting to come--thanks for hanging in there with me :)

xo. S

Baby-Proofing Recc!

Hi Friends! 

We baby-proofed after we got back from Hawaii and I'm finally getting this post up about one of my best baby-proofing finds! We have 2 side tables with iron legs and edging. One of them is right at Isla's eye level when she pulls up. Literally, the only way they could be more dangerous is if they were covered in spikes. Look at that edge! Owww!

I hunted down pliable foam rubber edging that I could cover the iron edge with. I couldn't use some of the products online because they were too hard and I needed to bend it around the entire edge. If you have a similar situation check out: Prince Lionheart Table Edge Guard on Amazon. I know it's $20...just simmer down....but it is perfect for those hard to baby proof tables. It comes with a LONG rope of padded edging, 4 corners and a ton of sticky tape. 

It's REALLY easy to "install" and so far Isla hasn't ripped it off. I put on the corners below as a temporary fix until I could get my 2nd order to cover the bigger table and when I pulled them off they didn't leave a bunch of goop on the table from the tape. There are cleaning instructions on the box when you're ready to remove it. It also doesn't look like you live in a playhouse...clean and perfectly safe.

We love Prince Lionheart products- check them out! 

Sleep Training: Nights (check!) on to Naps!

Hi Friends!

Here's a follow-up to my sleep training blog from earlier this week. Miss Isla is doing AWESOME at her sleep training. We initially started because.....

well yes, the kid won't sleep. She NEVER wants to lay down- not even to get her diaper changed. This is all her Dad's fault :) ha! I think she got a whole lot of our "go-go-go" energy and will never be one of those kiddos who reach for their crib or bed because they're just THAT tired. Isla would much rather bury her face in my chest and whine like an inch from my face. Just so I REALLY get the point :)

The sleep consult I blogged about previously helped SO MUCH! A big, warm shout-out of appreciation to Rachel at Child-works. She really was the support and confidence booster (that I was doing the right thing most of all for Isla but for us to!) that I needed. A couple things really helped our success:

1. Establishing "lovies" that Isla is comforted by at bedtime. Isla loves her Blabla fox (that needs name), Moo security blanket (a pressie from her Friend, Gemma) and the Aden&Anais "lovie" that many babies associate with the kneading they do on their Mama while eating. That satin edge is magic.

2. The Baby Einstein Soother. This came highly recommended from my BF, Ashli. Apparently my Neice, Grace is an addict like Isla. I was concerned that this could be distracting for Isla when she was self soothing but Rachel reassured me that sometimes distraction from crying or fussying is a good thing. We set it just for the sea noises so Isla can push it if she's sitting or standing in her crib. There's also a remote that works great (from out of the room) with it.

3. A video baby monitor. I use the "Best Baby Monitor" (I know, "real original guys") app. It pairs with your Ipad and Iphone so you can watch the little one on either device. I will say it eats batteries for breakfast so I recommend leaving the device plugged in when you're watching. I just tuck the ipad under Isla's changing mat and pull it out when we're "turning down her room" (ie: closing curtains, turning on white noise, etc).

4. This rocker. A bedtime story, nursing and burping all happens in this rocker. It's a magic place :)

5. We also love the Aden&Anais sleep sack. We just started using the Winter quilted sleep sack since it's been cold out but usually the muslin ones are perfect. These work in lieu of a blanket and if your little one prefers some "weight" while sleeping this is a good option.

There are many more tips to settle into a routine and get your little one to sleep...soundly.... these are just a few that helped us!

and now...she's proud to say.....

and I'm SO REFRESHED in the morning.

It has been so nice seeing my girl happy in the mornings- for 6 months (eek!) she was waking up crying and fussy because she just didn't sleep well! For the last 3 mornings she's woken up happy and talking to her stuffies. This morning she just sang a little song and laid there until I came to get here. It's so nice!

and now our next challenge....Sleep training naps. Ug! (Is drinking at 10am condoned in reference to sleep training? :)

xo. 

S