Little M is nearly finished with her Level 1 foods. So, I'm stocking up on Level 2 foods from none other than Gerber. I wish I had the patience and the time to make her baby food but alas, I don't, Gerber to the rescue. I probably coulda...shoulda, woulda with B-man but I didn't make baby food with him either. I'm one of those manic mother's (maybe the only one) that goes by the book when it comes to feeding. IT's crazy how much I have forgotten in 4 years since B-man was a baby. While picking up some Level 2 baby food a tear came to my eye when I saw that she would be starting meats. Not because we are vegetarian or anything. But, simply because she is growing up too fast. It's just going way to quickly.

I'm so surprised that the ORGANIC food is about 50 cents more than baby food that is not organic. It really costs that much more to NOT use pesticides? But really, if it's not coming from my own personal garden (I'm ashamed to say I don't have one) then how organic is it really, I mean, seriously!

Look who is finally liking Great Grandma! Little M is doing so many things on her own now that I think she is much happier. Since she has discovered this new found independence we get more down around the house and hear many more giggles. Her favorite thing is to look in the mirror and laugh.

B-man is once again enjoying 'school' with mommy. And can I just say that my son is the most difficult student ever. He just gets something in his head and won't let it go. He seems to have an aversion to vowels. He has no problem with consonants though. I do think his eyes are hindering his learning. (He can't see up close real well) But we have since hired a 'tutor' aka M&Ms. Get the letter, get an M&M, win WIN!

Here is what the end of the day looks like. B-man had just come in from hours of helping daddy mow and Little M is pooped from sitting up so long. So, both are chillaxin and watching the ever so popular Baby Einstein!

New to our house! COOKING MORE THAN ONCE A WEEK! Most of you probably read Kelly's Korner and My Charming Kids but I recently read a great post from the Pommerville's at their blog. I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Fun with Friends

Saturday was my best friend's birthday! This is her sweet girl Hailey, who has been begging to hold Little M since she was born. Finally, she got to hold her while we were over at her house. Isn't she great! Hailey is a girl after my own heart. I love her soo much!

She played with Little M while the brothers played with trains, planes, music, automobiles..... You should see my best friend's house, it is full of wonderful toys! Never a boring moment!

B-man played and played and played and played. In one part of the house we had kids playing in the music center, then with trains, baby toys in another part, and then the adults got out the Karaoke machine. Time to hide!!! LOL. Stephanie is a great singer, me?, not so much.

Life really can't get much better than this, happiness was emanating from each corner of the house.

Did I mention that Little M is sitting up on her own? Notice the pillows? Just a precaution. Hailey had a great time playing with Little M and she was doing a great job making sure she didn't fall backwards. But at one point Little M got a little tired of holding herself up and she did a nose dive. Poor Hailey looked absolutely horrified! She said "I didn't know she could fall forward". Of course, Little M was perfectly fine, it just scared her a little. Hailey was more hurt than Little M. She is a very responsible and caring girl and it broke her heart. It may have been my best friend's birthday but it was one of the best days I'VE had in a long time.

PS. Please click on the link to your right 'Praying for Stellan'. He's a precious 8 month old that needs our prayers.

No Pictures

This is a No Picture Post. Why? Well, my camera is sittin in seat of my husbands car and I'm all showered up and lazzied down for the night.
Today has been a day! Not bad, not good, just a day! Ok, yes, it was good because I was with my two beautiful children, and my awesome Grandma (my kids Great Grandma) and it was bad because well, let me just say here, that this is my free theraputic session so that I don't have to resort to the prescribed meds. (yes, I've been prescribed meds, jaw-dropping I know!)
Yesterday something happened to me that hasn't happened in over 6 months. It's painful and mood altering and just plain ole NO fun. I fell asleep on the couch for over 3 hours in the middle of the night, only to wake at 5:30 to my son saying "mom, my head hurts". Poor baby has terrible Arkansas allergies. So when he went back to sleep, he slept until 10:00, to bad Little M didn't have the same idea. At 6:30 this morning I received a disturbing email from a disturbed friend (ex-friend). So, that got me all fired up, and again made me think of my 'Mercy' post. Unfortunately my temper got the better of me, how great it felt though. But Oh how repentive I feel now. After this I was compelled to thank all my wonderful friends who are wonderful mommies and just great people. I'm really very blessed. One special friend said that my 'love text' came a perfect time. I called her up to see what was wrong and found out her Grandpa had been killed in a house fire that morning. You may have seen it on the news. This made my heart heavy for her and her family.
Then I got a call for a certain wireless carrier that we have been with for 7 years wanting to know where their money was. Ummm, where is my bill? We have never been turned off for failure to pay. I called said wireless company who have been sold to another wireless company and could NOT get a hold of a flippin human! Result: new wireless company, new phone, smaller bill, and REAL people to talk to. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Probably not since there are NO humans that work there. What about the network full of people wearing gray and red?
So much fun all packed into one day, and that was only part. But my husband is home from his walk so, I think I'll talk to someone who can talk back now. Love all 10 of you that read this:) Night Night.

A Day of Digression

Today is a day of Digression!
Here's the skinny:

• My daughter has digressed in her ability to sleep through the night, she is now waking up every blissful 2 to 3 hours. Most of the time she goes right back to sleep, except at 5:30, although she's learning! Because, for all things that are holy, Little M, we are NOT waking up at 5:30 in the morning after waking all night to be fed and cuddled.
• Little M did a great job sitting up on her own for most of the day yesterday. Today, she is like a limp noodle, several times taking a dive in attempt to do a face plant. But not to worry, mommy was there to catch you.
• B-man has tried to digress! Key word TRIED. Things like grunting or making a noise to get what he wants. UH NOOOOOO! We will use our words in this house or you won't get what you want!
• B-man has also resorted to putting his hands in his mouth. Every time I turn around it seems like his fingers are in his mouth. Then last weeks he comes down with a slight cold. GET YOUR FINGERS OUT OF YOUR MOUTH SON!
• My husband has digressed in his ability to pick up his own flippin clothes and place them in the laundry basket. As consequence, I have digressed in the ability to pick up said clothes. I have 2 kids to pick up after, while doing laundry, cooking 3 meals a day, cleaning bathrooms, wiping bumms, taking out the trash, flushing toilets after the use from 2 others in this house, all the while attempting to manage my Little M who thinks she needs mommy at apparently ALL hours of the day.

A domestic goddess I am not! As a matter of fact if I were employed my Merry Maids I would have been fired. Have a great MONDAY!

A Love Like No Other

This is the first time B-man met Little M, up until this point he had only seen her through glass, and that was just once.
I've really struggled with what to name this post, I wanted it to be something to invite a reader in but also to jog my memory when my memory is nearly gone. (at this rate it could be any day, I put milk in the cabinet for Pete Sakes)
The most surprising thing about my two children is the bond they have formed. I, of course, hoped they would love each other, but I never imagined what it would really be like. And I'm not even sure I can put it into words. But I'm going to try.
B-man met Little M when she was six days old for the first time. It was frigid here in the greater Arkansas area as I waited for my husband to bring my son. He walked in bundled from head to toe in his red (firehouse) coat. "Hi MOMMY, is that my sister? Do we get to take her home?" First of all, imagine being his age and Mommy disappears, not once, but twice, and the second time mommy's belly is gone and there is a little baby sitting in her lap. Plus, he hadn't seen me in a while. He was so great, wanting to love and hug (of course we had to limit that) and no question that she was ours.
So, yeah, he loved her BUT she really LOVES him. Just this morning we were playing cars on B-mans playmat, she was in her lilac Bumbo, he was zooming below with all his cars. Little hands grabbed at the funny looking colorful things and he didn't flinch. "Here you go sis." Her eyes intent on his every move, darting to and fro.
She gets her hands on him every second she can and she literally jumps for joy when he gets near.

From the very beginning her interest in her brother have amazed me. It's a wonderful blessing to say "Honey, talk to your sister while mommy loads the dishwasher." Of course she loves and watches me, that goes without saying. But I'm just her food source compared to her brother. Just tonight, B-man came in while I was nursing her before bed "Mommy, can I hug sister." and that's when I saw it, another glimpse of what I hope and pray will last. In the dark of our living room, Little M stops nursing and turns to her brother, they look at each other and hug, then a gentle kiss to the top of her head. (Oh my, I feel a tear coming on) "Night Mommy, I love you. Love you to siss. Awe, mommy, she's so sweet *kiss*"

Will this last? I sure hope so! Because I've never seen anything like it!

My wonderful children. A Love Like No Other

It's that time of summer

Woo Hoo! My favorite summer show is back! I love this crazy show for some reason. I've always thought that this show was like high school all over again, and well, that's just part of the twist. You've got the athletes, popular, brains, and the outcast. (they call it something else but not so sure what) Bonus: one casts member or contestant got to come back from a previous season. Guess who? Non other than Jesse. Let me tell you, I didn't like him the first time around and he's back plus 20lbs of muscle more. PLEASE, someone vote him off or back door the infamous Jesse.
I'm not sure who I'm going for yet, but I'm loving the teacher for obvious reason and not because I have a crush on someone 12 years my senior. I also like the lab girl Michelle. Who do you think will win? Or who do you like?

39 Minutes

Nap time was spent in our crib (not home, actual crib) as 'practice'. Practice for night time. Her nap only lasted 39 minutes! When she woke up and realized where she was at, well, nap time was over. Against all the reservations on my con's list, I went ahead and decided to have her sleep in her crib. This decision was made after a very rough night that led us to the doctor today. She wouldn't go back to sleep after her feedings. (several nights running) This drastic change from sleeping all night and only waking once for a quick feeding to waking every 2 hours and NOT going back to sleep had me concerned. Then she started rubbing and pulling on her right ear, that had me wondering if maybe there was something going on. I called the doc, told them about the change and they agreed that she needed to be seen. Well, my little 17 lb girl got a clean bill of health, now I don't feel so bad about letting her cry a little bit. So, as I blog she is asleep in her crib.

She was SO tired from many sleepless nights and the fussing at nap time that she passed out on me at about 6 o'clock. I maneuvered my camera with my foot and then reached so I could catch this picture. (gotta love the Santa pants) She didn't move an inch, my girl was pooped!

For now, Little M sleeps. I really want her to sleep peacefully and unstressed so that she can wake up a happy baby in the morning. As I always tell my son "growing only happens when your sleeping, so, I just want to hear your growing body".

Sweet Dreams

Weighing the Pros and Cons

As you know Little M is 6 months old. What you may not know is that she still sleeps next to my side of the bed in her bassinet. I know in my heart that the time is coming for her to move to her own bed. My grandma asked me today "What are the pros and cons?" And of course I listed them off pretty darn quickly. Here they are:

Pros:

My husband would sleep better

She is growing out of her bassinet, her crib has more room

She will gain more mobility

Cons:

I'm still nursing and it's so much easier for me to nurse her quickly and put her back down

We have a split floor plan and I'm not comfortable having her so far away from me

(Bear with me, if you know me, you know this is just me and typical: paranoia)

The very thought of not being able to reach over and check on her just pains me

I don't have a rocking chair in her room and it will be difficult to feed her at night without waking her up to much

I worry about her big brother going in there and trying to help me out by attempting to bring her to me

I'm not looking forward to her having all that mobility because that's when I have to start worrying about other things

Here's the really stumper; I wasn't this way with my son. I also wasn't able to nurse him and he started sleeping through the night at 3 months. J remembers letting him cry it out several times, but for some reason I don't. I do remember letting him cry more than what I let her cry. He's just as special as she is but for some reason it bothers me so much more.

I'm thinking about this next week putting her down for naps in her crib and then the next week moving her to it at nights. I'm sure I'll make a pallet in the floor for the first couple of nights so that I don't bother J with the monitor and all the crying. Bonus though, we have a highly specialized monitor with special powers (Ha) so, I'll know her every movement.

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN LET ME INTRODUCE TO YOU....

A PICKY EATER!!!!!!

I can't believe this is happening! Honestly! How did my baby girl get to be 6 months old? At about 5 months old we started cereal. Woo Hoo~ Rewind a month, we tried it then too. She hated it! Back to the present, well, she's still not crazy about it. Ha! (so many exclamation points!!!) Anyway, we stuck with it and now we've moved to the oatmeal, because I'm a Gerber mom I walk through each step as recommended. I also think babies should come with a handbook, but since they don't, I have chosen my own handbook that I purchased before our son was born and still use today, the updated version of course. My handy dandy handbook doesn't recommend the Gerber way per say, but it's close, so, that's how I do it. And of course I use more experienced moms like my Sis and BFF.

Well, it wasn't my plan to use any juice until much later, but, my daughter's tummy has a different plan. After church Sunday, Little M and I were playing when she decided it was time to well, do her business. But what a horrid surprise to my baby girl when it has much different than all her other BMs. My son had horrible constipation but this was nothing like that, it was just different for her and wasn't very comfortable. I won't go into all the details but I ended up calling our pediatrician's office for some advice. Of course we were transferred to the Children's Hospital Help Line. When we got the call back Little M's problem had passed and been trashed. I described to the ACH nurse what happened and the she told me I could give her 6 ounces of pear or apple juice, something else (I stopped listening after the juice thing when I realized she was reading from a manual), and then I could also use a suppository as a last resort. Click, now to someone that knows what they are doing, ring ring! Ahh, the familiar voice of my BFF! So, I decided after listening to her wisdom and going with what I already know that I would give her 1 oz of water (nursery water) and 1 oz of juice.

So far, so good! No anaphylactic shock or any other allergic reaction. Little M gave me this look of horror like I was trying to poison her with this foreign liquid when I first gave it to her. Now, though, she likes it, sort of...

Little M has also been introduced to bananas (didn't really like) and today sweet potatos (didn't really like). Are you seeing a parenthasy trend? Hopefully she will decide she likes it after the end of her 3 day introduction period. Ladies and Gentleman...WE HAVE A PICKY EATER ON OUR HANDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Your 6 Months Old!

Oh My, I just Might Cry While Writing of the Months Gone By!

Little M, you are 6 months old! What have you been up to?

• You only sleep through the night every once in a while and have recently taken to talking while in your bassinet. (When we move she will be going to her own room)
• You have just started your second cereal, oatmeal! You enjoy your cereal twice a day.
• Your first 'food' was yesterday and it was organic bananas; You hated it! But you decided to enjoy it just tonight after I mixed it with your oatmeal. I'm hoping to repeat this in the future.
• You really enjoy being held by your momma! Daddy understands why momma doesn't have a sparkling house when he gets home, because he knows what happens when you get put down.
• You are the most happy when you are being talked to by anyone, especially your brother.
• You love LOVE being out and about especially shopping at the mall, Target, and Walmart!
• We are not sure how much you weigh because your doctor's appointment got rescheduled by the doctor's office, we will find out at the beginning of August.
• You are rolling over now from your tummy to your back, but only when I'm not looking. Ha!
• You have been going to the church nursery for two weeks now! It's great knowing that your happy with my friends that love you and like to see you smile.
• When the camera is on, your smile is off, but the second I put the camera down you grin at me. Awnry little girl:) That's why all your photos you have this 'vogue' look plastered on. Hmm, future model maybe?

Little M is amazing every single day, even when she is screaming! My mom says I was the exact same way and I'm paying for my raisin'! I am and was a really good kid, I made good and bad choices. Thankfully my bad choices were short term and my good choices were long term! My parents really lucked out! Ha Ha.

Where oh where could my camera be?

My camera is still missing. I have no idea why it sprouted legs and ran off. I don't feel like I've been abusing it and doesn't it realize how blessed it is for getting to take pictures of 2 wonderful children everyday. I thought about doing a missing poster complete with picture and reward but, well, how do you take a picture of your camera with your camera? I'm now in a bit of a panic. Little M is turning the big 6 tomorrow (months that is) and she has the most adorable 4th of July dress and I really want to take a picture of that. It was last seen in the living room of our home and was taking pictures of my kiddos together. This is going to sound really bad, but I offered my son one dollar if he could find our missing camera. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe he took it and decided to hide it (not my little angel:) But....no such luck! Tomorrow I'm headed to my in-law's in a last ditch effort to find it, because I do believe we were getting ready to leave for their house when I last had it. I have yet to petition our Heavenly Father for such a request like, "Lord, please help me find my camera so I can have the memory of my Little M's 6 month birthday". But I am almost there. So, for all of you 7 people that may or may not read this, if you find my camera let me know or better yet, if you have the extra cash and just want to bless us with a new point and shoot camera, well, I'll accept that too!
Happy 4th!