Chomp.

So this morning.....this lady bit me.

BIT ME!

....and then as I looked her straight in the face and said, "No, that hurt Mommy- No Isla!" -- she smiled maniacally.

.... and all I could think of was....

crap! I'm screwed.

xoxo.
S

ps- Yes, she's a million times cuter than the Joker--but the resemblance in striking. :)

Food Rut

Hi Friends!

As many of you know, when we started "solids" Isla didn't stick around in the puree'd phase for long. She quickly 'demanded' finger foods and different consistencies. She also is super strong willed and loves nothing more than grabbing that spoon out of your hand to feed herself (even when she has one of her own!) The good news for us is that she loves to try new foods even if the result is an adamant shake of the head. I've realized in the last week that I'm kind of stuck in a food rut with her diet (and ours for that matter).

Unfortunately, the aforementioned 'food rut' is common for B&I. We both have super 'go,go,go' personalities and usually eating on the run or grazing is our meal mode. Since I've been home with Isla I have been making her meals in the kitchen and then grazing on snacks while I do dishes, clean or chat on the phone. This method works great but I am realizing that it's important to sit and eat with her several times out of the week (especially now that she works to mimic us so frequently) and it helps me think through a more 'rounded' meal for her and I.

I go through phases and food ruts pretty consistently. One week I will eat 4 quesadillas and the next week I will be on a toast binge. Considering that we are Vegetarians and we're choosing to raise Isla as a Vegetarian I am trying to be more responsible in making sure we all get the necessary nutrients we need. (This whole thing is kind of funny since I'm sure we eat healthier and more consciously than the vast majority of eaters out there....that being said, it's always good to put yourself in check every now and then :)

Tonight I got serious about doing my 'homework' on what she should be eating at 9-12 months and got reinspired with her diet and the 'new' foods she can try. I'm headed to the store tomorrow to restock her shelf in our cabinet & fridge.

To help stick with it- I'll be posting her little menu and pics here to help you stay inspired too! If you have any advice send it my way--my ears are always perked up for seasoned words of wisdom!

oh......and I'm taking applications for the lucky party who would like to clean up this blueberry fiasco next time we dare put them on her tray (HOLY!!!!.....)

 xo-
S

Annoyance

Does this strike fear in anyone's heart besides mine? 

Yep, that's right....the Twilight Turtle's lights finally dimmed and went out.

At right about the same moment the Baby Einstein Soother was right on cue as it uttered it's last lullaby. Dammit! Why do all the toys with the most complicated battery replacement go out on the same day?

(Confession: the turtle's batteries died two weeks ago--I've just been staring at it every night at bedtime, trying to 'will' it to work again).

There is nothing I loathe more than unscrewing 15 screws to replace batteries...constantly. I might as well just watch the years of my life be eaten up by this worthless task.

Now that I've ranted that out....time to go make friends with that fluorescent screw driver and manhandle that turtle. ug :( Pinot anyone?! 

Sleep Update

Hi Friends!

I'm sure many of you are still dealing with the Fall time change as we are. Somedays Isla wants to sleep late and others she refuses to nap. I think the lighting is really messing her up which is completely understandable. It doesn't help that it has been so gloomy here lately with resulting dark days.

I had a final consult with Rachel from ChildWorks yesterday (PS- Isla's now on her website! CUTE!) I was feeling like I may have messed up Isla's progress with weekend trips away and the time change coupled with a 9.month sleep regression that her Doctor warned me about. Thankfully Rachel encouraged me that I was doing the right thing and even when I went off "plan" my instincts were correct. As a Mom that was a great thing to hear since I spend most of the time second guessing myself (I'm really hoping that tendency settles down with Baby #2). Rachel's a Mama of 3 and sleep guru so I figure she has pretty good general advice to go along with her genius sleep plan!

One of the biggest things for me has been dialing in Isla's schedule. She has been doing great with her 7:15 bedtime (I learned 7:30 was too late and 7:00 was too early) and she is up most days between 7:00 and 7:30 but I have still been trying to dial in her naps.

This week she's been going down easily for her first nap and sleeping almost 90 minutes with one little wake up. Let it just be said, NINETY-FREAKIN-MINUTES is a miracle for my little "sleep-fighter." The issue is the 2nd nap--she HATES the second nap.

This afternoon I did her normal schedule and then she did the "running man" in my lap as I tried to rock her and sing her lullabies before laying her down. Once I laid her down she worked up a very load "MA-MA-MA-MA.mamamamamamamamma"

yi-yi-yi.

This was her moments ago as she was manhandling her bla-bla fox and chanting "MAMAMAMMAMA" = totally pissed.

and now....I just looked up and she is a sleeping angel.

I love how that works out! I feel like we're making progress and it's further proof that 'yes, I'm doing the right thing!' She needs sleep to keep those big-brain gears turning! :)

Time for me to edit pics and order a baby feeding guide .....review to come!

xoxo.
S

ps- More snippets on her 9.month sleep regression to come. I definitely want to remember these things for the next one so I'm not blindsided! :)

30.Days of Gratitude

Hi Friends-

Tonight I was feeling guilty that I didn't do my 30 days of Thankfulness posts like I did last year on my personal blog.

I feel bad for Thanksgiving.

It is like the kid that has their Birthday on Christmas--no matter how much you try to celebrate BOTH ...the kids birthday always gets trumped by Jesus'. That's real.

This year I feel behind on the festivities. I wanted to decorate for Fall at the beginning of October but my house just feels so cluttered I promised myself I wouldn't haul any decorations out until it was clean. Yesterday I was shocked when I realized it was my BFF's Birthday, which always signals the beginning of November. I wanted to shout from the rooftops--"I'M STILL STUCK ON HALLOWEEN" (or the end of Summer for that matter).

Thankfully, I'm going to get my act together and we're FINALLY cleaning out our condo this weekend and taking loads of boxes to storage....and hence, I finally get to decorate. It is with this plan in mind that I can open my brain to Thanksgiving and give it the due acknowledgment it deserves. It is one of my favorite holidays because not only does it pave the way to the dash to Christmas (my all-time-favorite) but it is the one holiday you don't spend money on or buy presents for. It's just about FAMILY and provides time for reflection on what we're most grateful.

(And I'm putting this is parenthesis because I don't even want to give it another thought--I say "shame on you!" to Kmart for opening their doors at 6am on Thanksgiving--meaning Kmart Employees have to get up and open the doors for consumers who are going to eat up this marketing ploy like a bunch of seals. rant over. I'll just let Huffington Post do the talking for me: link here )

Back on task....

As I was rocking Isla tonight .... feeling guilty that I haven't even begun to think about the meaning of Thanksgiving I realized that I do something better and more meaningful....I profess my gratitude to those I love and look-up to throughout the year. I send 'thank-you' cards by snail mail because I think a written note still means something personal. I profess my love to those who support me and keep my 'crazy' at bay: my 'Mama' friends (the girls!) and my family on my blogs and in real life.

Most importantly.... every single day (and that is not an exaggeration) I thank whatever higher power is out there for the beautiful life I've been handed.... that I was given the blessing of finding a relationship with Brandon that grew into a marriage we thrive in. Our companionship over the last 13 years is brilliantly fun, meaningful and most importantly- REAL. Every night as I rock my sweet girl before laying her down I say a prayer of protection and thankfulness for another day with her. Every single day, no matter what has happened I thank my lucky stars and all that lay beyond for that amazing little lady we created. I am blessed beyond measure and I have never been more aware or grateful of the beauty in my life.

....and with all of that I feel better. much better.

xoxo.
S

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