40 weeks of Fabulous!

Dear Baby Monster,

40 weeks old this week! Wow! Can you believe we made it this far??? I would have wrote sooner, but as you may already know, we have not had much sleep this week. So what's up with that Kiddo?? Were you to upset about the finale of LOST to sleep too? We were doing (sort of) good for a while...then the (Godforsaken) dramatic downturn. Ugh. Sleeping in the crib seems to be a thing of the past these days. You gave it a good few weeks - and Mommy gave it her all to keep you in the "baby cage", but lately you just are not having it! Oh well, we tried, back to the drawing board, back to the Mommy, the sleep hostage.

I must say the all - new "mobile Monster" is quite the handful! I do love how you can keep your self (somewhat) occupied these days, but you went from barely getting on your hands and knees to getting across the room in no time! You are into everything now. To my dismay I turned around yesterday only to find you now able to pull up on the furniture and stand on your own - and then this morning was the worst: You finally discovered the wonderful world of the staircase on your own! Ugh! Thank goodness you cannot get up them yet!      Y E T! Nothing is safe anymore! I think there is  a magnetic attraction between you and electrical outlets, the stairs and the dogs' water bowls. I don't know what it is  - but none can have a good outcome. Even with all my research into baby food, organics, and what makes the best diet for you, who would of thought your first meat (ugh..) would be Prada's Meaty Bones??? It was only a matter of time I guess....At least your teeth will be clean - if you ever get them!

Well the sign language has not caught on yet. No teeth have come in yet. But I'll be darned if you don't say "DADA" like a champ all day long! Sigh! Oh Baby Monster you're killing me here!! We had your 9 month check up last week and the Dr. says you're right on target. I asked him about your lack of sleep, to which he replied, "oh...that sucks". I am sure he meant that in a purely scientific and medical way. I couldn't have figured out on my own that my 9 month old NOT sleeping more than 4 hours a night "sucks". Good thing he wasted 12 years on medical school for that.

In other news, Memorial Day is upon us, the official start of summer is here. Uh oh. Next week we are supposed to break into the triple digit temps. Hopefully we will keep the trend going as one of the coolest years to date (in Vegas, at least!)

You came up with a new trick this week. You learned that if you drop the Cheerios one by one on hte floor the dogs will hang out next to you and eat them up! Personally I love when you feed me the Cheerios but Prada really loves this game! HE is not too keen on watermelon though - but you are! Maybe Mommy will come up with a big watermelon cake for your 1st Birthday! I bet you would like that - only if you could eat it off the floor of course. 

Last weekend Uncle Ronnie, Daddy, you and Me had a great time hanging out at the VEnetian while Mommy tried out for Wheel of Fortune. Last Night we got the good word that we made it to the final auditions in June! HOORAY!!! Hopefully we could put a cool $100,000 in the bank and save it for a rainy day! Keep your fingers crossed! Hopefully you are my good luck charm(er)!

Well kiddo as I type this you are sitting under the kitchen table stacking up the hundreds of Cheerios you have dropped and hanging out with your buddy Super Why (you're also chewing on my flip flop, but we will forget that I hope). As  content as you are, I can smell you all the way up here. Time for the dreaded diapee change....if only I had the extra 3 sets of hands to make it an easy one!

I love you Sir Monster I

Love, Mommy

9 Months of Monster!

Dear I,
Happy 9 months of life baby Monster Boy! Today you are officially 39 weeks old, which means you have been "out" as long as you were "in"! So I guess starting tomorrow, this life on the outside will be an old hat to you - you're such a big boy now! Now if we could just master the sleeping thing....
I have to tell you, the month of May has brought about so many changes in you! All of a sudden you are a pro sitter, crawler, pincher, and one heck of a tantrum thrower (we will be working on the latter two in a hurry!). Everyday you have a new trick  - and a new test - for me!

For the past four nights I have been testing the waters out and putting you to sleep in the 'crib'. It has become nearly impossible to lay you down on the bed anymore without the fear of you crawling off. So far you have adjusted to the Babybox naptime  rather well, but we are 1 for 4 in sleeping thru the night on your own.    When I say "on your own" it should be noted that I mean "you lay in the crib while mommy hovers over the top holding your hands so you think I am actually lying in the crib next to you". It is an interesting sight to see and one hell of an upper body workout. It just takes FOREVER to get you to fall asleep "on your own". Once I lay you down, you toss and turn and cry for nearly 90 minutes each night. You are so tired  you can barely sit up with out toppling over ( I must admit, I laugh every time you do that), but you just will not fall asleep without (one hell of) a fight! I will keep trying I suppose. It is either this way or one night Mommy is going to end up in the crib with you!
Your appetite has also increased over the past few weeks. You are a Cheerios champ these days, but watermelon still takes the cake! Even when you see it in the grocery store your face lights up and you get all excited. It is absolutely adorable - even if it means the entire kitchen get covered in watermelon stickiness!

Something new this week has been your crazy aversion to the car and the car seat. I can tell you now kiddo, this is not going to work out in your favor. For some reason every time I put you in the car lately you FREAK OUT!! I am not sure why, but I am hoping this goes away quickly  - it makes for a LONG car ride wherever we go, and the hotter it gets the more miserable those tantrums are going to get! Maybe you are just upset that Zorro has to sit in the back of the car and not next to you? Hmmm...

Well Sir-9-month-old-monster, it is getting close to your wake up time. I can almost feel your shrilly scream coming on. Sometimes I like to humor myself and think that I will just check on you and you will be playing peacefully in your crib waiting for me to come and get you.  A mommy can dream can't she?
Happy 9 months of life on the outside kiddo! I love you very much.
Love Mommy

Happy Mother's day!

Dear I,

Happy Mother's day to me! Whew!!! It took me 32 years to figure out how much work goes into getting a Mother's day card! This year more than any, I can appreciate how much work your Noni and Grandma have put in to getting me and your daddy to where we are today! THANK YOU doesnt even seem to be nearly enough for them! Mommy is just working on 9 months of Mommyhood...they are working on 40 years of hard work! Even though we cant thank them enough, this year we can appreciate them more than we EVER could have imagined! We love you Moms....(and Noni & Grandma)!
Motherhood is a funny thing. It is a lifelong commitment and a thankless job. You can never prepare enough for it. No one gets a perfect score and the mistakes often make the greatest teachers. No one can really appreciate all the work a mother does until they have children of their own and by then many many (hopefully) years have passed. The sleepless nights, the school lunches, the waiting up late all gets taken for granted until you experience it for yourself - then a simple "thank you" doesn't even begin to touch the tip of the surface on how much your mother has put into you. As Mothers we are expected to raise our children the best  ways we know how...and after a few short years into it we have to let you go into the world on their own and see how we (as moms) did.  We know from the day the doctor places you in our hands for the first time that someday (soon) we will have to let you go.  But we gladly do it anyway. A thankless job indeed. But the most satisfying, challenging, inspiring, and courageous job any woman can take on. So Happy Mother's day to all us who enlisted....and many more to follow.
 In other news, the past 2 weeks we have seen you change by leaps and bounds! You can now sit up all by yourself and are in the early stages of crawling - or as you do - some weird kind of sit-and-spin-thing across the floor. Either way you can cover the entire room in minutes. By the time you get from one end to the other you look like a doggie with all their hair all over you! It is definitely time to start baby proofing! No more rawhide on the floor these days! Im sure you don't need that until your teeth come in!
You also have mastered babbling - although I will fight til the death that there is a HUGE difference between "dadadada" and "Dadda". Until you look at Daddy and say "Dadda" I refuse to accept "Dadda" as your first word! Come on kid, give me somethin here! Especially on Mother's day!!! You run me down ragged, I lovingly let you bite, scratch, and pinch me nightly, and now you are going to say Dadda first??? Nope...I wont have it!

We have also been working on our sign language skills but so far everything translates into Mommy acting silly....or more Cheerios getting thrown on the floor. Either way you and the dogs are happy with it! I am still not sure when you are going to comprehend "NO". No matter how I say it you still think it is the funniest thing - and I have a feeling that is going to drive Mommy nuts VERY quickly.
If ever I thought getting you to sleep was tough before, the new sitting up and 'crawling' actions have put that to shame! Even getting a diaper on you is a challenge these days! You are all over the place. I have a feeling I am in for a wild ride with you as a toddler!

We got back from our nice weekend in Colorado late last night. We had a great time and got to spend some time with Aunt Sue in Boulder. You really liked her and seeing the horses and Little Bogey! She was sure impressed by how big and active you are! Everything was really nice, until the plane ride back - of course! I dont know how you know we are heading back to Vegas, But you sure put up a mile high fight! At least Daddy and Uncle Ronnie got to share in on the embarrassing torture of your inconsolable screaming! But once you fell asleep you were O-U-T! Thank God!
Well Kiddo, I have a feeling this naptime is not going to be very long so I best get going. Thank you and Daddy again for my Fabulous First Mother's day! I loved my Mommy Day crossword puzzle! I look forward to MANY MANY more!
Thank you again to my wonderful mommy! I love you very much and can only hope I am a fraction of the mom you are! Now I finally can appreciate why we had so many calendars hanging! :)
I love you Baby Monster!
Love, Mommy

Hey Soul Mister!

Dear I,

Baby darling, there is a little secret Mommy is going to let you in on now while you are young, and I want you to learn it quick. Someday Daddy can better explain it to you, but for now you only need to know that only ONE of us gets to be PMS'y at a time. And when it is MOMMY'S turn you have ABSOLUTELY NO CHANCE of winning!!! Although everyone else rather your whining instead of Mommy's, I'm sure!

Hoy Vey kiddo!!! Are you trying to kill me this week??!!! What's the deal? And it is ONLY Tuesday!!! Let's just pretend I don't mind that you go to sleep at 8PM and wake up at 11:30PM Screaming your bloody head off as if there was a crocodile attack in your bed. Let's pretend I actually like my face pinched all day long (the scars are conversation pieces). I will even go so far as to pretend I like to clean up your food from the ENTIRE kitchen rather than actually get ONE spoonful in your mouth...DO we really need to shower me with all of these in the same week??? Never mind EACH day of this week???
All I am going to say Sir is that you are DAMN lucky you are such a cutie....or Bam Zoom To the Moon you'd go!! (hmm... Maybe I will go!!!)

Aside from a thus far week of sleepless hell, screaming, and our newest hobby of pinching mommy's face til it bleeds, not much new here to report! We have taken Long Distance baby-rearing to YouTube! So now all of our long distance loves can see just how "cute" you are each day! I will break them all in with the cute and cuddley videos....then I will throw in the REAL ISAAC videos of the meltdowns and Tantrums! We will reel the family in slowly, then unleash the Sir I fury!
The warm weather has finally rolled in. The only good thing about that is WATERMELON SEASON!!!  You must have known I only craved watermelon when I was pregnant. You can go to town on a piece of watermelon Little Man! It is absolutely adorable to watch! One bite and your mouth and eyes fill up with water! You love it! I love it! Now we just have to get the dogs to love it so they can lick it up off the floor!

We are getting ready for a little weekend trip to Colorado this weekend. Should be fun. Uncle Ronnie is coming too, so he will get to see you in action on a plane! Thank Goodness this is a short flight! We will be spending our First Mother's Day in the Centennial State...Or as Daddy calls it, the Greatest Place on Earth!
Well....either a rhinoceros is upstairs or you just awoke from you mini nap...somehow I dont think I am lucky enough to go upstairs and see a rhino in the hallway....Someday Kiddo!!! Someday you are going to love to sleep - and I can't wait to wake you up when you do!!
I love you little Monster!
Love, Mommy

Sweet Dreams

Dear Baby I,

Tonight while (trying) putting you to bed, Delilah (on the radio), was speaking to a caller who is having difficulties with her 15 year old son. The caller talked about how she had her son at 15 and had felt like she grew up alongside of him. Unfortunately, now her son has hit peak adoloesence, and the Mom said her son suddenly had become a stranger to her. As we laid in bed with you squirming, pinching, and kicking me with your daily restless sleep drama, I couldn't help but think how sad it would be for my perfect little sleepless hellion to someday feel like a stranger to me. I felt so bad for that caller as she cried to Delilah all she had been thru with her son and their unfortunate current state of affairs. Delilah told her teens will be teens and there is nothing to do but wait it out and reassure her son that she loves him. As I stroked your little perfect cheek, all I could think about was how that could be us someday. What would I do? What if you grow into one of those angst teenagers who hates me?? What if you think I am the "Lame Mom" who does not understand you, your music, your friends, ANYTHING!!! Ugh! How could one brief caller to the Delilah show ruin my whole night and have me set out to pasture by my own futuristic teenage son!?!?
That's it!! No more growing up for you! YOu are here by ordered to stay my precious lovable baby forever! But I am also ordering you to sleep better too :)
 I have also decided this first year of your life, is all the torturing you are allowed. So there, you blew it! You wasted all  your potential teenage torture now! Ahhhhh...problem solved!
In other (non mental mommy) news, you had your first dip in the pool this past weekend! You and daddy had some quality fun in the sun! It is not exactly hot enough for mommy to punish herself with a bathing suit yet. I have to be REALLY hot for that!
YOu are getting more vocal than ever! Your giggle can stop traffic! It is the cutest darn thing I have ever heard! I live for those toofy smiles
Let's not forget that you got kicked out of the gym daycare again this morning. Lovely. I will be amazed if you let me make it through my trainer session on Thursday. If not, that will be the quickest money I have ever spent!
Well baby, that is all for now. Just remember how much mommy loves you and no matter how big you get you will always be my baby who I danced to sleep every night.
Sweet Dreams Little Monster - may your next 2 hours be filled with uninterrupted bliss. After that, I know the drill...(sigh).
I love you Baby,
Mommy

PS...Mommy hates the new layout of this blog! why do they have to change things on me once I get the hang of it! ugh!

Baby Food TIps

I have to admit, I am unexpectedly delighted by the amount of feedback I have been receiving on Isaac's Big Day. I am so happy that so many of you have taken the time to read about our daily ups an downs! So much has happened over the past 17 months that I can hardly remember a time I wasnt thinking about Sir I. 17 months ago I had all these crazy ideas of being the perfect Mom, and for the past 8 months I have been praying daily just to make it through the day! Gone by the wayside are my ideas of all organic clothes, cloth diapers, no tv, all natural everything...I don't know what I would do without my daily PBS Kids!
But one pre-baby ideal I have stuck with has turned out to be completely satisfying for both I and me:  Making our own Baby food. I LOVE to do it and it is not nearly as daunting of a task as you may think!
Many of you have asked me what Baby I eats and what I make, so I thought I would jot down some notes & tips for all us (and maybe this would be a good refresher for me if I am ever brave enough to take on a Baby #2!, although I doubt it!)
 1. When to start? The general rule is 4 to 6 months. I would stick with introducing solid foods at 6 months or later. We tried at 4 months and Isaac couldn't be more disinterested. We held off and by 6 months we knew he was ready. Really there is no need to rush, Baby will be eating the rest of his/her life, enjoy the simplicity while you can!
2. Rice Cereal. I had a lot of issues with rice cereal. For one, it was an automatic poop stopper - literally. Secondly I couldnt figure out why we were supposed to be feeding our babies white (or brown) rice. It is not a significantly nutritious food. So why was it Rice! Rice! Rice! Well it turns out "back in the day" rice was fortified with iron and  given to babies because formulas were not fortified with any Iron. Basically it was a yummy Iron supplement. Fast forward to 2010, Our formulas (and breast milk) are already fortified with iron, so adding rice cereal to them is simply adding starch and carbs to our baby's diet. It doesn't magically put the baby to sleep or stay in their tummy's longer, it simply adds  calories. I would use it as a thickener for runnier baby foods, but as a major meal component I would opt for something a bit more nutritious and satisfying.
3. Avocados. What can be a more nutritious and satisfying food for your baby than rice cereal? Avocados are a miracle baby super food! Chalk full of nutrients, vitamins, and monounsaturated fats (the good fats), avocados are a perfect addition to the Baby's diet in numerous ways. Isaac (and babies) love it's mild and nutty flavor. Mash it up with a fork for a perfect no-cook ready to eat meal, puree it in the blender for a liquid thickener to a bedtime bottle, or dice it up for a yummy finger food! Isaac loves his avocados! I am surprised that kid isn't green by now! I add mashed avocado to his morning fruit to make breakfast a more fulfilling longer satisfying meal.
4. O or No? There is much debate over the benefits of an Organic diet.  There is little debate, however, that an Orgnaic diet is the healthier choice especially for babies and small children. Baby, unlike mommy and daddy, has not built up the immunity to harmful pesticides yet, so an organic diet is best. Certain conventional foods, however, are generally as safe as their organic counterpart. In general anything with an outer discardable "skin" is OK to buy conventional - such as bananas, oranges, avocados, squash, melons, and mangos. Anything you eat with the skin on, such as apples, pears, carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, berries, and tomatoes are best to be Organic.

So What does Isaac eat?
It may be easier to start off with what Isaac DOES NOT EAT. Obviously everything he eats has been mashed or pureed, but there are some things that babies should not eat under the 1 year mark.
Dairy (Yogurt may be given after 6 months)
Citrus fruits ( too acidic for babies tummies)
Meats, fish and Poultry
Processed foods
Honey (can lead to baby botulism)
any Unpasteurized juices
Foods with a high content of added sugar or salt

Making Isaac's food is actually quite simple. Organic Fresh fruits and veggies are always the best options, but frozen fruit and veggies are also Okay to use, just be sure they contain NO added salt or other ingredients. A clean food processor/blender/food mill is all the equipment you need to get started. We started with a few simple root veggies (carrots, butternut squash, sweet potatoes) to test out his palate. From their we moved onto simple fruit purees of apples, pears and mangoes.
I maintained a 3 day rule (most of the time) with the introduction of each new food to observe any allergic reaction. As his list of "happy"foods grew we began mixing and matching flavors and combos. Butternut squash and mangoes/avocado are sure winners right now. Sweet potatoes and green beans have moved to the bottom of the leader board!

Simply steam (boiling destroys the nutrients) the fruits or veggies you are planning to serve until soft and then puree when cooled. Use the water in the pot as a thinner for thicker foods. I freeze everything as soon as I make it to preserve the freshness. Food can be frozen into clean Ice cube trays, milk bags, ziploc bags or plastic containers.
Use all frozen food within 1 month of freezing for optimal taste and to avoid freezer burn.
Most importantly have fun with the introduction of food to your baby. Isaac loves to eat - or at least try to eat. Be prepared for some messy, yet camera moments. The looks on Isaac's face after every taste were priceless. He acted like everything we put in his mouth tasted like a sour lemon! But watching him discover food was a Mommy highlight regardless!

Well, I know these ideas are pretty scattered but if anyone has questions or comments I whole heartedly welcome them all! I never thought Baby food would turn into such a passionate "hobby" for me, but I love making it - almost as much as Baby I loves to fling it! Maybe someday You will be seeing Baby I's favorite foods in your grocery stores! Ahh...to have the spare time for that to come true!
Thanks again for reading our blog and I look forward to hearing form you all soon!

Happy #8!

Dear Baby I,

I cannot believe our little boy is already 8 months old! Saturday was your 8 month mark and what a day we had! It started out slow - the usual, no sleeping all nite, breakfast all over your face and the kitchen, crying through your afternoon naptime....the usual! But what a great afternoon we had! We took you to the IrishFest...er...Scottish Fest (apparently there is QUITE a difference!). YOu had so much fun. I am almost certain music is in your future! You absolutely love live music. Festivals, church, street players - anything musical lights you up automatically! Everyone kept telling me how cute you were - as if Mommy didnt already know! Being outside (in the oncoming heat) did you in for the rest of the day! You were pretty much lights out after dinner...well until midnight that is!

The rest of the weekend was just as nice. NOt much of anything really happened. You got to spend some quality with Daddy. You really loved that - you both did. You are a very lucky boy to have such a great Daddy. He is so into his Baby Boy! I have a feeling you are going to be his little shadow as you get older, following him around like a puppy! YOu are going to have to fight off Doc for that title!

I really cannot believe how big you are getting! It really is amazing. Everyday it seems you grow a little more into a little boy and less of my baby boy. Before I know it you will be running around and then off to school and then off to college and then married (or not) off! All that and Mommy will still only be a very young 32 years old! Hoy Vey! I dont know if I can handle all of this! Maybe you should just stay my little baby forever! My little baby that sleeps thru the night! (Mommy can dream!) It is amazing what that little giggle of yours or your toothless grin can do to make my long day complete!

The weather is definitely heating up around here! But the winds are also kicking in, which means your poor little allergies are in overdrive! The sun is also going to be a big problem for you this summer. No matter how much sunscreen I put on you, I dont think it is enough to battle off the Vegas sun. I do not think we are going to be outside very much - unless we are in the pool. I guess we will have to hang out inside with Super Why on those Steamy Hot Summer days!
8 months old and still no teeth or crawling. I have a feeling that they and walking are going to hit us all at once. Hopefully sleeping thru the night will be in the mix too! You are learning how to unsnap your onesies and pull off your diaper though! I am pretty sure that is a disasterus combo in the making! You would love to be naked all the time! So much like your daddy!
Well baby we are off to another food fight in the kitchen. You vs me and the peas and carrots! You always win, but one day I will get them in your mouth with out a fight! You are doing much better with the finger foods - cut up watermelon, avocados, bananas, and grapes. I am not sure you ever got a piece of them in your mouth but the dogs sure love licking them off you and the floor!
Happy 8 Months of Sleepless Bliss Baby! Mommy and Daddy Love you so much and cannot wait to see what Month 9 has to bring. You are our beautiful baby blessing and we wouldn't change a thing (except the sleeping) for anything!
I love you Baby I!

Love, mommy