Controlling An Octopus

Last night we finally had th chance to try to snap some decent Christmas pics of our girl.  You see, we've been holding off on our Christmas cards to family and friends in hopes that we might be able to include a couple of pics.  Thus began the fun.

Dress baby in pretty red dress and shiny black shoes
Place baby on floor in front of tree
Santa hat on baby
Santa hat ripped off baby
Baby crawling away
Baby back in front of tree
One shiny black shoe falls off
Pic of the back of baby's head
Pic of baby's bum
Santa hat back on baby
Mommy removes other shiny black shoe
Baby rearranged for a nice shot
Santa hat covering baby's face entirely
Headless Santa baby pic
Santa hat half off baby in pic
Shiny black shoes thrown at the camera
Baby turning Christmas tree lights off and on
Pull new sled over near the tree
Baby arranged in sled (maybe that'll contain her)
Baby twisted backwards in exorcist-like move
Baby rearranged again
Santa hat thrown off again
Santa hat idea scrapped
Baby lunging off of sled
Several pics snapped in succession - all of baby in awkward lungeing poses
Sled moved aside
Wooden horse pulled close
Baby *might* be interested enough to stay still
Horse flung around by baby
Baby attacking camera
Baby attacking mommy "Don't bite!"
Baby crawling over mommy and camera to escape
Baby rearranged back in front of the tree
Baby launches self the other way
Daddy sweating in all of the rearranging mess
Dogs jumping into pictures
Mommy lays on floor with camera and wonders where the wine is
Maybe next year.

PS - we did get a couple of cute pics but you don't get to peek at those just yet!  

Happy Ho Ho!

Nom Nom Nom

My sweet girl is eating us out of house and home...seriously, there are meal times that I make her stop and take a break for fear that her not-so-tiny belly will explode.  It's a bit worrisome sometimes when introducing new foods to baby, because I worry about choking and allergies, but so far so good.


So far some favourites include:

bananas 
weetabix
applesauce
plums
mashed potatoes
Kraft Dinner (So bad I know!)
baked beans
toast with jam
grilled cheese
sweet potato
fresh cooked green and yellow beans
prunes
yogurt
pudding
ice cream
Baby Mum Mums (a rice cracker-type thing that tastes like styrofoam packing popcorn but melts in baby's mouth)


Some that did not go over so well include:


green beans (pureed)
corn (pureed)
dill pickles
plain pasta
oatmeal

The face immediately after she tasted the dill pickle. 

The camera wasn't fast enough to capture the really funny face just a second before!

She is starting to prefer 'real food' as opposed to the baby foods.  I've noticed that the last few times we've tried her banana flavoured rice cereal she is not loving it, but I made her Weetabix this morning and she devoured it!  Yesterday I tried to feed her pureed bananas (store bought) but she was having none of that!  Last night I cut up a banana and she couldn't get enough.  She tried to feed herself but kept accidentally squashing it in her hands.  (Note to self - no small pets for awhile)

We try not to give her much sugar or processed crap but now and then we have tried some - like chocolate pudding and Kraft Dinner - both a big hit.

All in all it's a ton of fun trying new things and watching her expressions as she decides whether to eat it or shudder from head to toe.

Raising 2 Generations of Kids

I often feel as though I am raising 2 generations of kids.  I joke that I feel like I am raising my own grandchildren due to the age gap.  My son is almost 17, has his learner's permit to drive, is entering his last year of high school and is very independent most of the time.  My daughter will be 8 months in a few days, she is just about to pop a tooth, has mastered sitting up and her world ends when I leave the room without her.

I love being a mom to my two kidlets and cannot believe how lucky I have been to get to do this all again.

With that said, I now want to tell you that some days I think about shaving my head bald in public and being admitted to a secure facility where my biggest worry is when my next pretty pink pill will be coming.    Although he is usually an amazing kid, once in awhile my kiddo will make comments that just make me wish for a chalkboard to run my fingernails down.  I might be in the middle of getting dinner on, and trying to keep Little Miss entertained in her highchair, but sometimes she just fusses.  It happens.  My kiddo will happen to walk in right then and say "Are you just going to leave her?"  Argh!  He walked in one day when Little Miss had just finished enjoying some watermelon...well, her body, arms, chair and the floor also enjoyed the watermelon.  My kiddo walks in and says, "She's really sticky, you should wash her."  Sigh.

 We feed our dogs twice per day, and they generally both eat out of one bowl, empty it, then later finish the second bowl.  Neither dog is super food motivated so there is often food left in one bowl when the next feeding time comes.  The other day, my kiddo walked past the dog food bowls and noticed that one was empty.   He asked me "Have the dogs been fed yet tonight?"  I replied "Not yet," and he responds with "You might want to make sure they get fed."  OMG

Don't get me wrong, the same kiddo also offers to help if we need help with household repairs, he is generally polite and appreciative, doesn't get into too much trouble and is a pleasure to spend time with most of the time.

Yep, while I get the extreme pleasure and privilege of raising two amazing kids, some days I just want to scream.

Bananas!

I am not especially fond of bananas...I am quite happy to have one maybe once a year, unless I am running and then I try to have one after a run.  I just prefer my fruit to be a bit more tangy than blah.  That said, I will eat them without complaint (as long as they are not brown and spotty or green and hard...somewhere in the nice yellow, firm category please!)

A couple of years ago, dear hubby came home from his job as a banker, and proudly announced "I had a banana today!"  My reply was a confused "Oookaaay".  He then told me that he has never eaten a banana before.  Ever.  I looked at him with disbelief, but he was serious.  And I started howling...dying laughing at the thought that a man in his late thirties had never, ever eaten a banana.

So, I did what all good wives do when their husbands tell them something important...I called his mother.  As I recounted the funny story, she started to laugh and thanked me for reminding her of something.  When my dear hubby was a baby, his mom gave him a banana to hold, which most babies would probably squish a bit and taste and get messy and enjoy.  Not my big guy.  His whole body stiffened up and he began to shake from head to toe with what appeared to be disgust.  Yep - at six months old he was NOT having a banana. 

Thus, 36 years later he was able to proudly proclaim, "I ate a banana today," with a big, goofy smile on his face.

After I tired of making fun of him with his mom, I got off the phone and asked..."Did you like the banana?"

He replied "No, it was disgusting."  No more bananas for my dear hubby.

Soooo today I decided to see what Little Miss would do with a banana.

This photo was taken immediately following the look of disgust and immediately prior to her tossing it on the floor...guess she truly is Daddy's Little Girl.