7 Months with P!

Month seven snuck up on us just as each month before it. The old cliche is totally true, how quickly time passes. Multiply that by 10 for the third baby. Miss Parker got TWO teeth this month. All of sudden they were just there. Now I'm having a hard time remembering her little gummy smile prior to those two itty bitty teeth. She continues to be a dream sleeper, down between 6-7, up between 6-7. We hit a rough patch after the 6 month check-up, but after those two teeth popped through we were back to all night snoozing. (hooray!). Napping is a total guessing game because with 2 very active older sisters, we sneak naps in when we can. And as long as she sleeps through the night, I'm not going to worry about it too much. I'm usually a total stickler for schedules, but it's virtually impossible with school and other activities. #thirdchildproblems

6 Month photos!

Watch out world, because Parker Mae is officially on the move! Sure she was rolling around like a madwoman prior to this but she's now crawling all over the place. She'll just follow you around the house. She LOVES the hardwood floors, because she can scoot after you much faster. I'm not ready for crawling at all. I'm having a hard time letting go of the newborn phase. Even though that was over a few months ago... I'm still in denial. She's still the most serious baby EVER, but I don't mind. It's part of her charm. She's still not too keen on strangers, or pretty much anyone besides Mom, Dad or her sisters. But again, I don't mind. I'm 100% OK with holding her every second that I'm home, and not sharing her with anyone. The dishes, laundry, dusting, etc. can all wait. This little baby won't be a baby forever ya know.



She can sit up on her own, kinda. I'm not really sure how we've skipped over sitting independently and went straight to crawling. We practice as much as we can, but girlfriend just wants to be on the move. Whether it's rolling around or crawling around, there's no sitting still unless she's in the high chair. Which speaking of the high chair, a little BLW update! She is rocking the whole eating thing. In addition to all her fruits and veggies (favs are bananas and avacados), sister loved her some protein. She absolutely loves meatballs. I'm still pretty flabbergasted by the whole BLW method, I just can't seem to wrap my head around a 7 month old eating that much food. But we continue to love it, with a few minor adjustments. From what I've read you're not supposed to help them eat, they're supposed to do it all themselves, but we've had to break that rule. P absolutely loves silverware. I mean it seriously blows my mind. Some foods she'll pick up off the tray, but she prefers if we put a bite on the fork, and hand the fork to her. Then she puts it in her mouth. Is that normal? I don't know, maybe she's a baby genius. Yes, let's go with that.

She still doesn't like the pacifier very much, which is actually a good thing. We don't really need it anyways, and this way there's nothing to take away! We do however still love the wubanub because it doesn't get swallowed into the pacifier black hole that is a car seat. It's the perfect distraction/chew toy in the car. She doesn't love the carseat either, but I don't really blame her, she gets toted around quite a bit. We've been super lucky with the weather this January, and are outside as much as possible. This month she got to ride in the stroller sans carseat for the first time, as well as swing at the park. We definitely have spring fever now. I keep forgetting that it's January...



Our only slight hiccup in her short 7 months has been her poor skin. She has really bad eczema, and I'm at my wits end on what to do. All of my research I've done recommend changing your diet in order to help clear it up naturally. All she eats is fruit and veggies (and now meatballs) with milk, which is what they recommend. The doc gave us a prescription because nothing else was working. We've tried coconut oil, my usual go-to, and nada. We have been using Eucerin this month and it's been helping, but I'm definitely hoping this is something she grows out of!




Happy 7 months sweet girl!!!

The tooth fairy

I'm not sure what the "normal" age for losing your first tooth is, but I'm pretty sure Gracen is on the later end of the spectrum. She finally lost her 2 middle bottom teeth, and it was traumatizing, to put it lightly.

They started getting wiggly a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, and my selfish thought was "just wait until after family photos!" #momoftheyear. Well family photos came and went, and nothing happened. A few more weeks went by and nothing happened.

Upon further inspection, her new tooth had started coming in, but the baby tooth was still snug as a bug in a rug in there. Where is this at in all the parenting books I ask you? What chapter does losing teeth fall under? Spoiler alert: it's not in there. So we did what any awesome parents would do: we decided to bribe her in order to get it out. There was lots of screaming. I mean seriously I think she was more scared then hurt, but it was quite the ordeal. Eventually though, we got it out and had a lovely visit from the tooth fairy.

I think I was just as traumatized as she was, so I thought we'd get a jump start on the second tooth and call the dentist for backup. The dentist said obviously the baby teeth needed to come out or it could screw up her permanent teeth (even more than it already has), and sometimes teeth were just stubborn. If we preferred we could have her pull some. Gracen LOVED that idea, mostly because it meant we would get off her case about pulling out the second one herself. And because she was not letting me or the Mr. anywhere near her mouth again.

I tried to prepare her the best I could to let her know it wasn't going to be all rainbows and roses at the dentist. I let her know there may be a shot involved. She didn't care, she was all for the dentist. So the big day finally arrived, and she hopped up in the chair. Gracen, not me, looked the dentist straight in the eye, and asked if there was going to be a shot. Much to our surprise, the dentist said NO! They do something for kids called bubbles? I still don't understand what she means by that, because my trusting 6 year old laid back in the chair and low and behold the dentist gave her a shot!

Full on panic ensued, Gracen shoved the dentist out of her way and screamed bloody murder. I have never ever seen her this terrified/angry/mystified. YOU TOLD ME THERE WASN'T A SHOT. We were "those people" at the dentist. You would have thought we cut off her arm or something.

After at least 20 minutes of trying to calm her down the numbness of the shot was finally taking place, and since she no longer trusted the dentist after that stunt, she sat in my lap and yanked the damn thing out herself.

So to sum it up I spent $35 for her to hate the dentist and pull out her own tooth. This is the note she left for the Tooth Fairy that night:

I love the bloody tooth in the corner.

Needless to say, we'll probably need a new dentist. And if you need me I'll be hiding in the corner scheming about how to pull out her top 2 teeth.

Family Photos 2014

Because it's totally my luck (and possibly the fact that we waited until November..) the weather once again did not cooperate the day we had family photos scheduled.

So instead of outdoor photos we headed down to Union Station. Even though we had our pics done there a couple years ago, the place is big enough we were in different spots. And luckily it was just a bit drizzly, so we got at least a couple outside when there was a break.

6 going on 16. I mean seriously how did she grow up so quickly?

This goofball did not want to cooperate (who's surprised?) So I'm glad we got one good shot where she doesn't look like she's in physical pain.

This was our 2014 Christmas card winner!

You guys! I TOLD you she is capable of a smile!

Uhh, I just LOVE the drama of black and white. They're my fav!

Miss Serious. For reals. 'You lookin at me?'

Until next year!

#tbt - family photo edition

I just recently got back our family photos for 2014, so how appropriate for #tbt to do a family photo edition? Every year, I swear I'm not going to do it the next year, but as I look back through the photos it's totally worth it.

Worth all the stress.

Worth bribing the Mr.

Worth the money.

So while you enjoy this little walk down memory lane, I'll be the one in the corner crying at how old my babies are getting.

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

I'll post some of our family photos from this year soon!

Winter Skin

My skin and the winter do not get along. It's like my face can't decide what it wants to be. Some days it's super dry, some days super oily, and some days it's in between. Awesome right? I know you're totally jealous. When I stumbled upon the Dead Sea Mud Mask, I didn't have high hopes. However, I was totally willing to give it a shot if nothing more than to pretend I was at a spa and not surrounded by kiddos who are going stir crazy because it's too cold to play outside.

The best part? It's all natural. I'm no hippie, but I do like to try to be conscious of what I'm putting on my face. The organic ingredient list was definitely a bonus. About a year ago I started using organic coconut oil in lieu of bottled moisturizer, and I've never looked back. I dabble between homemade and store bought facewash, because I still haven't found one I love. Every time I think I've found a new fav, the seasons change and so does my skin. Yay for Midwest weather!

This mask is the perfect pick me up for winter, when my skin's all over the map. It moisturized where I needed to moisturize, and I felt clean and refreshed where it was normally extra oily. There's no icky mud smell, just be really careful to keep it out of your eyes and mouth. I also loved the price tag. The jar is pretty big, and will last me a while, definitely worth it if you're in need of a little relaxation this weekend!

What are your winter weather skin tips? Any favorites?

BLW

It's amazing how much has changed in the 5 years since Hadley was born. Not only regarding products available for kiddos, but how easily accessible products and information is. I mean sure Facebook existed then, but smart phones weren't as prominent, and there weren't near as many Mommybloggers. (or if there were I didn't read them). The biggest change of all is the "organic" movement. I say that in quotes because I take everything I read on the internet with a grain of salt. Regardless of your opinion, every author has some bit of bias, whether they're trying to or not.

So that being said, this time around we're giving BLW a spin. What is it you ask? Baby led weaning. Which you would think they could come up with a better name than that, but whatevs.

Disclaimer: Now to preface this, I'm not writing a term paper people. This is strictly my opinion, and I'm paraphrasing from my "research". If you want to know more, or just want to know if I'm full of it, feel free to google. Google is your friend.

Now where was I. Ah yes, what is baby led weaning? Essentially it means skipping all "baby" food. By that I mean no messing with rice cereal, no purees (homemade or store-bought), no spoon feeding, no airplanes. I pretty much signed up after that, but to make myself feel better I kept reading. The gist of it is that we're not doing babies any favors by spoon feeding them purees. By feeding them purees we're teaching them to swallow their food, not chew it. Now maybe it's just me, but that just makes sense. And I kind of felt like, what the heck why isn't everyone doing this? I felt kind of cheated by Gerber.

For the lazy folk that just never got around to making our own "organic" homemade purees, this is a much easier way to make sure they're not getting all the extra yucky stuff in store bought baby food/cereal. And have you seen all those photos going around social media of mold and other gross stuff in some store bought baby food/pouches? I mean I know that's probably pretty rare, but still. Gives me the heebie-jeebies.

So with BLW, you just feed your baby whatever it is you're eating (minus salt). And the baby is in charge of feeding him/herself. Most of their calories are coming from milk anyways, not purees or table food, or whichever route you choose.You just have to make sure that the pieces are big enough for them to grab, but small enough to chew on. Keeping in mind that this is all a learning process for the baby. Learning to chew, not swallow. So be prepared for a lot of it to be spit out and played with. That's part of the learning process.

So I thought to myself, no extra prep, and no stress over how much they're eating/when they're eating. What's.the.catch. No catch my friends. Supposedly this also produces less picky-eaters. I'll get back to you on that one in the long run, but for now Parker hasn't met a food she doesn't like. Hello, easy street!

Girlfriend totally has the elvis lip down.

Currently her menu consists of:

• carrots
• cucumbers
• broccoli (loves this one!)
• avacado
• peas
• green beans
• celery
• toast
• pasta
• peaches
• apples
• mangos
• bananas

And that's only in the past couple weeks. My main concern was choking, but again that's the whole point of BLW, is teaching them to chew so that they don't choke. Also babies have an amazing gag reflex. And even though you aren't spoon feeding them anymore obviously they still need supervision when eating. 

When I thought about the whole baby food process with my older two, I figured the whole reason for purees was because they don't have any teeth yet. But neither of my older two had teeth until they were around one, so they were eating table food by then anyways. So why not just start with it from the get go? And granted we've only been doing this for about a month, but I'm pretty pleased so far.

Anyone else tried it? Loved it? Hated it? I'd love to know!

6 Months

My darling Parker is 6 months old! How is beyond me. Clearly she's already got the whole rebel act down because I specifically instructed her NOT to keep growing so fast. Le'sigh.

Getting this photo has become increasingly difficult due to your desire to be on the move constantly. And you are still the most serious baby I've ever encountered.

I know I'm a little late on the post, but she had her 6 month check-up on Friday so I waited for her stats. Girlfriend is weighing in it 16lbs 1oz (49%) and is 25.5in (37%).

And speaking of her check up, she had a BIG day on Friday. (Even though technically that's part of month 7.. whatevs I'll forget by then). Friday morning she said Mama! It may have only been once, and most likely accidental, but I'm pretty excited that I got to witness it. She loves to babble, and is pretty good with the 'b' sounds but I heard her slip once with an 'm'. Yay! She also got her first tooth on Friday. Holy cow I was not expecting that. She showed no real intense signs of teething besides the usual gnawing on everything, so it totally took my by surprise. Dad was out watching the KSU game, and got a text message around midnight with my discovery.

My sweet P,

You continue to be an absolute delight. You think Gracen is quite possibly the funniest person on the planet - she gets that from Daddy. You still suck your thumb off and on, but I don't mind because you're adorable. duh. You only like the pacifier when you're going to sleep. As soon as you spit it out I know it's time to lay you down. Night time is our special time. I rock you to sleep (probably longer than advised but I'm a rebel and I don't care!) You like to talk to me as you drift off sweetly into dreamland. I credit Daddy for this sweet sentiment because he hums to you when he's putting you down for a nap and you started humming back. It's a good thing you can't talk yet, because I'd give you anything you want in those sweet moments. A pony? It's yours. You're an amazing sleeper (I'll take credit for this one because me and sleep are BFFs). You still take 2 sometimes 3 naps a day, and you sleep through the night. We normally go to bed around 7, and you wake up anytime between 6-7 with a random 5:30 thrown in to keep us on our toes.

You pretty much go with the flow, and are rarely fussy. Ahh the life of a third child. You absolutely love the jumper, and it may help me persuade Daddy to get a swingset this spring. Fingers crossed. You started eating food! We're skipping baby food altogether because after all my reading it just made sense. Plus if I had any doubts, they were all washed away when we actually started giving you food. You have yet to really meet a food you don't like. hashtag winning.

You had your first Chrimstas and it was a doozy. Mom is crazy, and decided to take you and your sisters (solo!) to Church and the Christmas party to see Santa. Mass was at 9 and the party at 10, but we definitely did NOT make it in time for 9am Mass, so we quickly adapted and made it to the party, and went to 10:30 am Mass after. You are the queen of 'stranger-danger' right now, and did not like the party at all. Luckily all I wanted was the pic with Santa... and you obliged! I literally had .2 seconds to snap the photo before you realized it wasn't me holding you, and by some Christmas miracle all 3 of you were looking and 2/3 were smiling! can't wait till next year.

We were pretty practical with your first Christmas because let's face it, with 2 older sisters you hardly "need" anything. You were a complete angel through all of our travels. You were sufficiently spoiled, and you're at the perfect Christmas stage. You can sit up, but you can't go anywhere yet! Speaking of, you're sitting up! Yikes. You look so much older when you're sitting up.

You had your first babysitter! Although you were in bed for the night, I'm still counting it. I had my work Christmas party and Aunt Nanie had your sisters for a slumber party and Aunt Jaime graciously volunteered to come hang out at our house while visions of sugarplums danced in your head. You of course chose that night to hang out until 8:30, so we may have gotten a late start, but we made it count. It was our very first night alone since you were born! Way to hold strong sister.

This month seems to be full of milestones, and I can't wait to see what the next 6 months has in store for us. Happy 1/2 birthday my darling girl! I supposed it's time to start planning your 1st birthday party. Just kidding... sort of.. ;)

Mama