Peace, love, and FOOD!

Happy 9 months to my little love nugget! She gets so big so fast. As of today she:

*gets on all fours but won't really crawl
*loves to hold my fingers and walk
*is in love with the cat and pup
*talks all the time most common words are baba, dada, mama, gugu
*loves to eat anything
*still not impressed with car rides

Favorites:
*Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
*Strawberry Shortcake
*Puffs
*Her paci
*Patti cake

So we went to the babe's 9 month appointment today! No shots thank goodness. First time not to get any. We did have to have our toe pricked to check for anemia. She was eating a food packet and didn't even notice. Momma did and was asking when this nurse would be done...she says "when I get it all". Oh really- hmm thanks for the update. SO ARE YOU DONE YET!?
STATS:
18.5 lbs and 27.5 inches. According to the pedi she is in perfect proportion. She has no teeth coming in yet. Sorry child you probably will be toothless for a while like your momma was.
Now we get to REALLY start feeding Miss B some food. She had progressed to scrambled eggs, whole wheat english muffins, bananas, some muffins Momma would make but nothing to spectacular. I was completely grossed out about the thought of giving her mashed up meat. So until two days ago she was a vegetarian. She tried some chicken off our pizza and loved it. Then today I made her ground turkey and that was also a winner. Other pedi suggestions for my hungry 9 month old:
*blueberries
*apple slices minus the peel
*pear slices minus the peel
*peas
*carrots soft or the longer sticks
*avocado
*pasta over cooked
*squash
*zucchini
*cucumbers minus seeds and skin
*ground meats
Basically really anything we might eat minus the seasonings.
Our little trooper after her poke...

Hello big girl car seat!
She still had a few inches to give and some pounds to gain but she absolutely was over being in the infant car seat. So Momma and babe went off to Buy Buy Baby (Love!) to shop for a car seat. I had done my research on car seats and pretty much knew what I wanted. Okay and maybe I saw Kourtney Kardashian's son in the one I wanted. BUT in defense of myself that girl is cray cray about being all natural and getting what is best and safest so I knew she did her homework and could afford the best. Since that particular car seat was actually a normal person price it was my first choice ;)
They did have the one I wanted and after trying her in all of them it still was my favorite. So I installed in the parking lot because I was not going to listen to the screaming babe in my backseat for one more second. While this new car seat is way awesome and reclines and basically is like sitting in a marshmallow sandwich- my child still whines on occasion. Big surprise.

MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY, MOMMY
So this is what my child would say if she knew how. We are all about being clingy these days. Really I just need to glue her to my back or have a kangaroo pouch and she'd be happy, happy, happy. I amuse her despite the advice I get from some people. I mean let's be honest with ourselves. I will miss this. So I indulge her bad habits with hugs and kisses and laying on the floor with her while she plays. Thanks to Mickey and Strawberry I can get a shower or lunch in most days :)
She is a very demanding and exhausting boss but the best and only one I want!

Bryn "Dietries"

Welcome to solid food! Bryn is on her way to eating solids. By this I don't just mean pureed sweet potatoes. I mean SOLID food.

Her favs:
*salt free saltines
*salt free rice cakes
Now I say those are her favs, but let's be honest she hearts everything. Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree :) Trying to even have coffee without having a babe hoped up on sugar/caffeine is a task nowadays. She drops that wubby to the floor and grabs it with cat like reflex. So of course I am like- well I mean if you must. Haha but at least Momma still drinks decaf with splenda. Nothing she didn't have in the womb ;)
I will admit I was one of those momma's who was going to cook her own baby food. I mean if it's cheaper than hells yeah. Well SOMETIMES it is cheaper. However when I have time for cooking this food she is sleeping. I am not a fool. Do I want to be cooking whilst the babe finally sleeps! NO. Is it smart to run a blender when cray cray cranky babe is sleeping. NO. Soooo this doesn't get done. With coupons and low prices I mean it is too handy to have it just already diced and cooked for me. I am cautious about all the additives. I mean do I eat anything- yes. But I do want to give her the best I can. So far I have done pretty well. 2-3 ingredients is the prime objective.
Just today we bought pre-diced carrots, apples, and green beans. GENIUS. Also frozen diced sweet potatoes. The puffs bananas made me nervous. I could see her inhaling them. I mean they are the size of a pea but they are semi crunchy (hello!? anyone? choking hazard?) but no she chews them up with her titanium gums. Still we monitor her while she's eats them for now.
She has been sicky with a stuffy nose for a week and a few days now. I have been giving her chamomile tea at her 5 o'clock dinner and she really likes it. I suppose mostly because it tastes different than water.

Oh. Diapers. UGH. We do cloth a few days a week during the day. But mostly when we go out and in the evening she wears disposable. Well Pampers Swaddlers were are go to diapers for newbie and size 1. Love the wet line indicator. When the mountains are blue she's wet- easy. But all the sudden (as warned by a mom of my kindergartner student) they leak. Now her's don't leak out the side they actually made her cloths wet. What the crap?! So on to Huggies. Mickey Mouse version because duh- he's cool. Well he also feels like rough tree paper. So trying again with Pooh this time. Much better. Still not in love. No wet indicator and I want them to be soft like cashmere. Hello it's my babes tush we are talking about. So next go round Target brand. LAME. Now we are embarking on Luvs. Cheap as all get out. Have not made any great observations yet though. Too be determined.

Mommy News

So Bryn and I have joined a Mommy and Me group that is based in Frisco. It is so much fun! We also started our own so we can try to meet more mommies and babies that are in Prosper surrounding area. Since joining I am around a lot of new moms. I have noticed how many of us have questions about baby schedules on food and sleep and all things in between.

This blog is partially for me (soes I can remember if we have another how I managed to it the first time) and partly for any mom who has questions on what other people have done that worked.

Here we go!

Bryn started rice cereal at 4 months. We did 2 tbsp at 9 am and 5pm. It was after her 7 am and 3pm bottle and the pedi told us to do this so that she wasn't hungry when we feed her. About 2 weeks after just having cereal we added a veggie. No fruit yet because they worry that your babe won't want veggies if they know it could be sweeter. I was going to try the "make my own baby food route" but with the move it was no possible. I got her Gerber step 1 foods. Sweet potatoes, squash and peas to start. She ate about half the container at first. With more practice she started eating it all a few weeks later. Introducing them one at a time with a 3 day period in between to check for any allergies.

This was the same time that we dropped night feedings. I was still giving her a dream feed bottle at 10pm but not feeding her if she woke in the middle of the night. We also went from eating every 3 hours to eating every 4. Sometimes we just made it to 3.5 hours in the beginning.

We have a bath time routine and so she got used to when it was night time. This helps. When I started noticing she would doze off around 9 and not really wake up again I stopped her 10pm bottle. That was 4.5 months old. The cereal helps keeps their tum tums full!

Now this babe is 7 months old! She eats 4 bottles and 3 meals.
7am/ 8am bottle
9am oat meal and veggie
10am nap in crib
11 am bottle
12:30 snack- veggie and rice cake or solid food i.e. avocado
1:00-3/4 nap I don't worry about where this nap takes place. Since sometimes we are on the road or running errands as long as she gets it I'm not concerned where it is.
3pm bottle
5pm rice cereal and veggie
7pm bath time routine
7:30pm bottle
7:30/8 bedtime

Usually during the last bottle she crashes and is out for the night. I try to not let her nap after 4:30. If she doesn't then she will be ready for bed at 7:30. Also we noticed if her Daddy comes home after her bath time then she gets a second wind and won't go down 'til 9. So NEW RULE- Daddy has to be home before 7 or he has to stay gone 'til babe is down for the count :)
She usually goes to sleep while we hold her. If not she sometimes lays and watches the mobi and she'll crash on her own. Sometimes she wakes looking for the wubby. On occasion she can't find it and we have to go in and help her. She sleeps in a sleep sack which I love because I know she stays warm and she cant suffocate herself. But she is not crawling or standing up so who knows how long this will work for us.
*We have a family rule that Miss Bryn can't come to bed with us until 6am. This is because I am willing to get up at 6am if need be so if it becomes habit that would be okay.

This schedule works great for us! Hopefully it will come in handy for another go round if Bryn has any siblings later!

7 Months

Happy 7 months to my love!

You love Sophie.

You love naps.

You love to smile :)

You love your bath time.

You love your Mommy almost as much as your Mommy loves you :)

We are so blessed that we have been your parents for 7 months little girl. Daddy is amazed at what you've learned every time he comes home at night. This week is you breathing quickly out of your nose and making a pouty face and this month you can officially sit up on your own. Too cute for your own good.

A Texas White Christmas

Little Squeaks turned 6 months old on Christmas Eve. We are so blessed to be her parents and I can't believe she has been with us for so long already! LOVE HER.

Some of the fam came over the Sunday before Christmas to see the new house and Bryn. Squeaks and Big Daddy had a good ole time hanging out.

Bryn and all her Dad's cousins and Great Grandparents on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Morning! Bryn went straight to her stocking ;)

YUMMY chocolate filled candy cane.

               So excited! Opening her gift from Papa.

Unwrapping went well...Squeaks got lots of clothes and some toys.

Big Momma and Big Daddy came over to see Bryn Christmas Day for lunch. It started to snow while they were here!

By the time they left it looked like this...

Could not have asked for a better first Christmas for Bryn.

Hers is a growin' girl!

Too cool for school. Almost 6 months and we have found our feet!

We made it out to Babes Chicken! It is yummy. They do BYOB. Bring your own baby. No just kidding BUT YOU CAN bring your own alcohol. The waitress told us people bring coolers. Cray Cray! Momma and Daddy are going to be definitely abusing that one of the weekends.

Home sweet home! We have finally settled into our new home in Prosper. One of the first things I had to do was put up the Christmas tree!!! Bryn has started learning out to use her sippy cup. I chose one with a straw because it seemed like a better idea. After a week of investigating the straw...

I created a monster :) But it is great!! She can drink on her own and she doesn't have to have the head room to tilt her head up to get the water. It also came in handy when I found out about this little jewel...

It's first year solids but in a straw pouch. It is more pricey and so far in this brand I can only find one flavor but it is great for when we are not home for her morning breakfast, snacktime, or dinner.

After 5.5 months she finally has a high chair! I shouldn't have put it off so long but this Mom couldn't find one I liked enough. We have a Peg Perego car seat and while it weighs as much as I do- I love it. So I found this Peg-Perego high chair. It is the Cadillacs of high chairs. It is leather so no it is wipe-able. It transforms into a swing. It tilts back for newborns & up. It raises and lowers. This Momma is so excited. It finally came 2 days before Christmas. It was her Papa's gift for us for Christmas. So now we no longer have to sit on the floor to feed the babe. 

5 months and Bryn's Zoo outing!

5 months old!

Growing everyday this little girl is now eating solids! She loves everything but her most favorite is bananas and sweet potatoes. She is wanting to sit up on her own but she still leans to far over and falls on those sweet little cheeks. So Momma and Daddy sit with her to play. Her new trick of the month is blowing raspberries with her mouth. Our babe sleeps in her own crib and mostly sleeps through the night with the occasional 1-4 am wake up call because she wants Stella but can't seem to find her. (Stella is her giraffe wubby). Bath time is at 7:30 and bed time usually following around 8 or 8:30.

Last game day living in Norman. Bedlam.

Cartoons have begun to capture this babes attention. 

Mostly the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Oh toodles :)

Oklahoma City Zoo! Bryn's first trip and maybe last trip to this zoo. We had lots o' fun!

Giant Turtles. Or whatever their "Zoo" name is. But to us they are GIANT turtles.

Ah bright light! Trying to ride the baby elephant.

Dad needed in on some riding action. I think he may be a bit too tall.

Love this face.

We had an amazing day! The weather was awesome and Bryn had a good time. She missed the giraffes but seeing a GIANT Stella may have scared her for life anyways.