BLW

I briefly mentioned we started Drew on solid foods. I wanted to blog about it a little more since it's a little different than the traditional baby food route.

Trent has had food aversions from the get-go. I don't know if it's because I waited to introduce table food for a long time. {Like his teachers at school told me 'Um, he needs to be eating real food.' Oops.} Or maybe it's his tongue thrust. Or maybe it's just his personality. Or maybe genetics since Brent and I aren't ones to chow down on veggies. {Understatement of the year.}

Um...Drew...you're missing the point here!

Anywho... I don't remember where I read it, but once I read about Baby Led Weaning, I knew it was what I wanted to try with Drew. 

Essentially, you don't spoon-feed your baby purees, you give them table food and let them feed themselves. Since we believe breast milk gives Drew the vast majority of her calories and nutrients, food is just for fun right now. So it's a learning experience for her - what it feels like, what it tastes like, how to get it into her mouth, when she wants to stop. 

And let me tell you, she is having a blast!

I am just now noticing she always uses her left hand... Hmmm...

So far, she has tried bananas, sweet potatoes, avocado, apricot (peeled), scrambled eggs, apple (peeled), grapes, pears (peeled), and carrots. She hasn't turned her nose up at anything! She is also getting better at getting the food into her mouth and chewing. At first, she would just kind of hold it in her mouth and then it would squish out - so funny.

It is super messy {but seriously a baby covered in food is too adorable to mind} but also super easy. I don't have to remember to buy her separate food or take the time to make purees then freeze them, etc. {And our freezer is so full of breast milk, there's not room for purees!} I just pull stuff out of the fridge and give it to her. And the principle is really that you could give your baby whatever you want, but I want to really focus on fruits and veggies with her for awhile to see if we can establish a better relationship than Trent has...

So there you have it. My latest 'hippie' adventure in parenting!

One of Those Nights...a Timeline

I've done timeline posts a few other times {I'm too tired to search for them and link} and think they are fun as a way to remember what life was like when I'm old and gray...er....older and grayer.

My typical night consists of putting Drew to bed between 7:00 and 7:30 and then Trent to bed between 8:00 and 8:30. {Expectant mothers...here's a tip - if you EVER want your bigger kids to want Daddy to put them to bed, you have to let Daddy do it when they're younger.} Then I work/blog/pump until about 10:00 and then have a little freetime. I would like to say I go to bed at 10:30 but it's more like 11:00.

Last night, however...

7:00 - Put Drew to bed. She was TIRED. Teething is hard work. {One is poking through!}

8:00 - B starts getting Trent ready for bed. Drew wakes up. {Huh?}

8:30 - After having nursed and rocked Drew 2 more times, trade places with B and read to Trent and let B rock Drew.

8:45 - Finished reading to Trent, now resume Drew put-down.

9:00 - Success!

9:00 - 10:30 - Work/pump

10:30 - 12:00 - Financial discussion with B...very important conversation but oh so late.

12:00-12:30 - Read. {Y'all. Book 3 of The Outlander series. So.Good.}

12:37 - Is that Drew? No.

1:37 - Is that Drew? Yes.

1:37 - 2:37 {I put exact times here because I noted in the middle of the night them all ending in 37. Nerd.} - Nurse, rock, teething tablets, repeat.

3:45 - Trent wet the bed, gets in our bed. Shirt and blankie are wet, so now my sheets need to be changed as well.

6:40 - Drew wakes up. Nurse, rock, asleep.

7:00 - Allena decides to start working blogging.

Good morning friends! Any objections to a venti chai today?

Sweetness...

There is nothing like seeing your daddy snuggling with your baby.

Nothing Tastes as Good as Skinny Feels...or Not...a Recipe

Y'all...I needed something to take to book club 2 weeks ago. I wanted to bring a dessert, and I just wanted to make something {rare}. I spun my small mental recipe rolodex and remembered a recipe I haven't made in a while. But it's so good and so easy that I remembered the recipe off the top of my head (and makes 2 pies). I present Millionaire Pie!

Millionaire Pie

• 2 graham cracker pie crusts
• 1 can Eagle brand condensed milk (which in itself is dessert)
• 1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip
• 1/3 C. lemon juice
• 1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
• Chopped pecans (if desired)

Mix everything together and divide between 2 crusts. Chill overnight in the fridge or freezer for an hour.

BAM! You're welcome!

A Spoooooky Party

I realized this weekend I never posted about Trent's birthday party! Shame on me. We celebrated with a spooky party because this kid loves to be scared. No clue where he gets it, but hey, it made decorating easy, so I was all for it!

The cake, made by yours truly

No, your eyes do not deceive you. There is a '5' on the cake. Trent had an insane meltdown in Target over buying that candle and not the '4' because the '4' was yellow. {Can't we pretend it represents my favorite color and not my age? Okay, kid, you win.}

I also did cupcakes with adorable spooky toppers.

And I borrowed some of my mom's Halloween decorations. See? Easy!

3 preggers...sitting in a row.

Due in October, September and July...or so they all thought. {grin}

Presents!

After opening presents...trying out the TMNT masks. Boys. Oy!

  My sister makes cute babies!

Schuyler agreed. {Can't wait to see him become a Daddy!}

I had no good pictures of singing. Boo.

Our first family picture in MONTHS. #momfail

P.S. - Isn't Drew's onesie adorable? B didn't understand why I spent money for her to match the theme. Men.

The hit of the party!!  The slip 'n slide from wonderful godparents!

Blair donned a pair of Trent's underwear and joined in. And then it turned into hose time. I love these 3 together. Can't wait to see all 5!

Chilling in the tub with a new toy from mom and dad completed his day, don't you think?

We woke up the next morning to find out one of my co-workers (due in mid-July) got a surprise in the early morning. Now her little guy, Jaelyn, shares Trent's birthday! Love!!

Grow Baby Big Boy Grow - 4 Years!

Our firstborn is 4! We had his well check with Drew's (p.s. - I updated her stats here. Spoiler alert - she has gotten tiny!), and I'm so glad Brent wanted to come along because I forgot this appointment included a hearing and vision screening which took a little time to administer. No shots for either kid, so that was nice!

Stats:

Height: 40" (25-50%)

Weight: 34 lbs. (25-50%)

BMI: 15.1 (25-50%)

What he's up to:

*T is still ALL boy {mostly}. He constantly wants to 'battle'. B does a great job of talking with him about not fighting though! He wants to watch all superhero shows (Batman, Spiderman, TMNTs, Transformers) and doesn't understand that he's not old enough.

Our teenage mutant ninja turtle

*He is starting to be sweet to his sister. I wondered if he would ever really get interested in her, and I think it's beginning to happen. She LOVES him and laughs so hard for him. Makes my heart explode.
*Tantrums are getting fewer and further between. Of course, when they happen they are still lovely.
*Does ask occasionally for something 'girlie'. We've I've painted his fingernails and toenails. (B did NOT like this, and he's 99% of the time okay with T experimenting a little.)

Wanted pigtails like Blair {Blackmail photo?}

*Can work my phone to get to his games and Netflix. This blows my mind.

*His vocabulary is still off-the-charts. We get comments all the time.

*Has an incredible imagination.

*We are taking a break from all therapy for awhile, and when we start again will most likely just focus on speech. His tongue thrust and lisp are still pretty bad.

Evidence that the tantrums aren't all gone!

*Loves his teacher and school. This has been HUGE in the past 6 months. We will be so sad to leave Ms. Misty at the end of summer.
*Loves to read books. I love this!
*Naps are hit or miss, but he has stopped fighting us (somewhat). Bedtime is about 8:00 or so, but he usually plays in his room for an hour or more. We no longer lock his door! And CPS never found out. {grin}
*Is 100% potty trained! We stopped diapers at naps and bedtime. He just said one day he didn't need them anymore, and we've literally had 1 accident. {Of course B had put the waterproof mattress pad on upside down so T was soaked from head to toe!}

2-3 1/2 was a tough time for us. Especially the period after we took away night-night. Brent and I both commented at different times that we truly wondered if we were raising a psychopath. I can say that with a smile now, but those were very trying times. {Of course as I type this, T is having a fit and I'm ignoring him. Ha!} The past 6 months have been SO much better, and we can really see him growing into a boy who is so sweet and loving and SO spunky. He keeps us majorly on our toes and is just amazing.

To answer my guessing game: Trent was disguising himself to look like Batman. He even colored 'little Trent'. Tee hee hee. All while he was supposed to be napping. So he then fell asleep in the 6 minute drive to my parents' house. See? Keeps us on our toes!

Bad-A Mama

Brent left for Dallas today to go to work for a few days. It was my first time to solo-parent the morning AND take them both to daycare. I've done each thing but not both. 

This morning I:

• Packed Trent's lunch
• Packed Drew's 3 bottles {and pumped them too ha}
• Got both kids' sheets washed and packed
• Cleaned up the kitchen
• Packed for an upcoming trip
• Got Drew's bibs and sleep sack packed
• Packed my stuff - pump, laptop, etc.
• Had naked play time

• Got kids dressed, fed and loaded in the car
• Deposited Brent's work check
• Semi-successfully dropped off both kids {if they were both crying - T chasing me out the door and D fussing on the floor - when I left does it count as successful?}
• Was only 3 minutes late to a conference call

Reward?

Go me!!!!!

Book Club Book Review: Outlander

It's been a few months since our book club met {and the last time we met I didn't read the book because it was a little depressing, what with girls being raped and murdered, and I was a little post-partumy}. Our selection this month was The Outlander by Diana Badaldon.

Plot: Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another...

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an "outlander"—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord...1743.

Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire's destiny in soon inextricably intertwined with Clan MacKenzie and the forbidden Castle Leoch. She is catapulted without warning into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life ...and shatter her heart. For here, James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a passion so fierce and a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire...and between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.

Review: Well. This might be my new favorite book club selection. It is at least tied with Before I Go to Sleep. This book is over 20 years old, and I vaguely remember my sister reading the second book in the series. Sidebar: I have yet to talk about a book club book where my sister doesn't say 'Oh, I read that.' 2nd sidebar: This series has book 9 coming out soon!!  EEEE! Sidebars done. 

Apparently there is some controversy over the fact that this book is found in the Romance section of the library. It's hard to classify this book as historical fiction, science fiction or romance. I say who the hell cares? It was excellent reading! Diana Gabaldon is an amazing writer. The story jumped off the page, and I was left eager to begin book 2. If you like any of the genres I mentioned, you'll really enjoy this book I think!

I also stayed at the 'meeting' until 12:45. Karin was so happy that 'wine-drinking' Allena came, ha. Drew got up at 3:00 and 4:00 and then Trent was up at 7:00 so 'wine-drinking' Allena won't be playing again for awhile!

Guess What Happened

Any guesses as to what happened here?

HHHHHeeeellllllooooooo

I am feeling a little neglectful of my blog lately, but I have a really good reason. I'm super busy with some new responsibilities at work that I am so excited about!

Before I had Drew, my boss and I sat down to talk about a bunch of stuff and part of the conversation was about me wanting a little bit of a change. I've been climbing the ladder at my company for almost 10 years {10 years!!!}, and while my specific duties have changed over time, my job is essentially the same. I'm in client service, and I have served some of the same clients for these 10 years. So it's gotten a little monotonous.

It's taken awhile to figure it all out, but I am now spending 50% of my time with our HR group, specifically scheduling, and now I get to deploy resources (mainly). It's like working a giant jigsaw puzzle with lots of moving parts. {grin} I have always enjoyed the little bits of scheduling that I have helped with in the past as part of my normal client service role, so this is super exciting for me. 

It does mean a bit of a learning curve as I learn some new systems and re-prioritize my day-to-day activities. The best part is that it means I get to work from home a lot more. In my role, I was able to work from home 1-2 days/week, so now that I'm doing this HR piece for 50%, it means probably 3 days/week. I am so stoked because that will save me HOURS of commute time every week!

I have a ton of things I want to talk about (book reviews, kid updates, general randomness), and I hope to get to it soon. Until then, imagine me up to my ideas in spreadsheets and loving it!!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!! {OMG! She eats!}

Unpatriotic

• I hate beer.
• Dumb and Dumber is the worst movie ever.
• Seinfeld is stupid.
• I don't eat McDonald's.
• I hate Wal-Mart. {Target, on the other hand, I LOVE.}
• I'd rather eat Mexican food.
• I'm not wild about apple pie.

But I think all that can be overlooked by my super patriotic babies. {grin}

*Terrible iPhone pic of the picture but the CD I bought is broken. Ugh. 

Grow Baby Grow {Drew} - 6 Months

6 months!  How is she 6 months? {This shock seems to be a recurring theme for me lately, huh?} I feel like this was a big month for our girl.

Looking a little tired here today...after day 1 of daycare, ha

Stats:

Weight: 14 pounds, 10 ozs. (25%)~15 pounds (well check is Friday)

Length: 25 1/2" (25-50%)

Head circumference: 43.2 cm (79-90%)

Diapers: Size 2 (size 3 at night) in disposables & 1 snap down in cloth
Clothing size: 3-6 months in everything, jammies are starting to get a little snug in the length but everything else fits perfect!

Nicknames: Sugar foot (courtesy of Daddy), Drew Baby, Baby Girl, Little Bit, Sister

• Still loving those feet! And I finally got a picture!! Sometimes she tries to  eat them both which makes me laugh.

• Super interested in food. I feel bad eating while holding her because I think she would take it away from me if she was fast enough. We plan to start solids over the 4th holiday. So excited! Although, if I'm being honest, I'm not ready for real food poops!
• Is finally rolling from tummy to back but only in her crib. I have yet to actually see her do it, I just see the after effects on the monitor. And she only does it after waking up. She's weird. ;)
• Still loves to chew on things. Everything goes in her mouth!

• She grabs for anything within reach.
• And is really starting to get interested in toys. And Ms. Thing will let you know if she doesn't like what you are trying to offer her!

• Much happier and expressive. She used to be so difficult to get to smile and giggle, now we can get them pretty easily. She is also talking a ton and has learned to SQUEAL!!! I love listening to her talk on the monitor.
• Got her first Nana-made outfit.

• She still doesn't have any teeth. I love her gummy grin, and I think it will be bittersweet when her teeth pop through. She will look adorable with teeth, but it will be more proof of how fast she is growing!
• Can ALMOST sit up unassisted. She kind of does that tri-pod sit and before long folds in half.

• We had our first fever this month, our first doses of Tylenol and another cold. Ugh. I hate when she's sick.  Partly because she's pitiful and partly because it means we're up a lot more at night (ha).
• Loves to drink water...and hold the cup! I think she is going to love food when we start.

• Started daycare on July 1. I could probably do an entire post about it but won't (you're welcome). She is doing really good (but not sleeping great, as expected). According to her teachers (who I love), she isn't eating great from her bottles (as expected) but is adorable (duh).

First day at daycare picture {don't I look lovely?}

•  All around adorable. {grin}