BLW

We've been taking a "Baby Led Weaning" approach to solid foods for Marissa.  Up until she recently got sick, she was doing great on solid foods.  Basically, we cut up soft, gummable foods in bite sized pieces and let her decide what she wants to eat.  She is normally very good at eating her food, feeding herself and exploring new tastes and textures.  She got sick last week and it has been a struggle to get her to eat any solids.  I don't know if it's just a phase or if it's because she isn't feeling well.  Hopefully she will be back on track soon!

I know that several of my readers have shown interest in making their own baby food and BLW is a great option.  There are many misconceptions about BLW.  A lot of people think that it's a choking hazard to give a baby bite sized pieces when they don't have any teeth, but it's actually a very safe option for getting your child to eat solids, obviously under close watch.  It teaches them how to move food around in their mouth, chew and to swallow.  We kind of went with a modified BLW approach and started with home made purees first, but many other parents go straight to finger foods. 

This site has some helpful information about BLW as well as recipes, first foods, what to avoid, etc.  Check it out! 

Sono Today!

I have my first sonogram today to date the pregnancy and get a more definitive due date.  Though what does a due date really mean?  Marissa was right on track for most of my pregnancy and decided she would come a week late.  Either way, it will be nice to have a date to look forward to!

We had a nice weekend and I need to upload pictures of Marissa in her pool.  She enjoyed sitting in the cool water.  She didn't move much or splash around, but she liked chewing on her toys.  My parents came to visit on Sunday and we had a cook out with Danny's parents as well.  It was nice but I was exhausted.  I napped off and on with Marissa all day on Monday and finally got out of my pj's around 4:00.  We headed to the "beach" to get ice cream and take a stroll on the boardwalk.  It was nice to have an evening out with my little family.  Marissa turned 9 months old on Monday.  It's so hard to believe that she is approaching a year old already.

Danny has gotten news that he has to start traveling more for work again.  During my pregnancy with Marissa he travelled to New York every other week.  He would leave before I got out of bed on Monday morning and wouldn't return until late Friday night.  It was hard to be away from him for so long but it was manageable.  This time they want him travelling to Baltimore every other week.  Now with Marissa and a second little one on the way, I honestly don't know how I will handle him being away half of the time.  I know we should be grateful that he has a job in today's economy, but I can't help but feel like it's just not fair.  I didn't sign up to be a single mother half of the time, to work 40 hours a week, take care of our house, two dogs, all the chores and everything else that comes along with being a mom, an employee, a home owner and a wife.  Needless to say, I'm not very happy about all of this.  It would be one thing if he was getting paid a substantial amount more to do all of this travel, but he's not.  The only thing he gets is compensation time.  So it's not like I can quit my job just because he is working more hours and away from home.  Sometimes I really wonder if people care about family life anymore.

Okay, enough with my rant!  I'll make due and we'll get by, things could be worse, right?!

How can this sweet face not make you smile?  Not the best pics since they are from my phone but ahh, I love her!

  



Locks of Love!

I had been wanting to get a hair cut for awhile and I finally made an appointment to donate my hair to Locks of Love.  I donated 10 inches.  Here's the before and after!

Before:

After:

What do you think?

Productivity

I have been pretty productive this evening!  Danny is gone on travel and Marissa was very needy tonight.  She's not feeling well, I'm not sure if it's teething or a cold.  She has a runny nose that is clear, a slight cough, no fever, a little bit of a diaper rash and her overall mood is cranky with a side of all I want to do is snuggle with my momma.  

So instead of a "To~Do" list, how about a "To~Done" list:

• Unpack diaper bag
• Wash Bottles
• Re-pack diaper bag
• Go through mail
• Pay bills
• Vacuum
• Snuggle Marissa
• Feed Marissa dinner
• Bathe Marissa
• 2 Loads of laundry
• Dishes
• Make myself dinner
• Feed the dogs
• Pack Marissa's lunch for tomorrow
• Pick out Marissa's outfit for tomorrow
• Water the plants
• Pull weeds outside
• Hang diapers to dry
• Dust the living room
• Marissa's bedtime routine - lotion, PJs, rock while she drinks her milk, story time and kisses
• Oh - now it's time to RELAX!  I didn't get to sit down for more than 2 seconds until just a few minutes ago.  

I said I was productive, right?  All the while Marissa was glued to me.  She wasn't really into playing tonight, she just wanted to be held.  She was quite content being worn around the house.  I think she may have nodded off for a few minutes, then she decided to play peek-a-boo with the mirror and then mommy's back started to break so I had to take a break.  I really need to invest in a better carrier.  I loved the sling when she was itty bitty but she is really too heavy for it now.  

Look how big she looks!

It feels good to be productive but I feel like I still have so much to do.  I guess that's what the weekends are for.  I can't wait for Danny to be home, I really miss him.  It will be so nice to have a long 3 day weekend!

Click-A-Doo!

My Click-a-doo diapers are ready and I can't wait to receive them in the mail!  Aren't they just too cute!?  They will be perfect for Marissa's birthday theme!

Marissa is going to have one stylish little fluffy butt! ;-)

Sunshine and Watermelon

This weekend we headed to the Monastery to visit with friends.  Marissa loved sitting outside in the shade and watching all the other kids run around.  It won't be long until she will be right there with them.  Danny chased the kids and tormented them.  He might be faster than them but I'm pretty sure they wore him out before he wore them out! 

Marissa went diving for ducks!

More tormenting!

Danny spent the night in the truck and Marissa and I went back to my parents house.  She had a long day and slept great!  Thank goodness.  On Sunday we sat outside and had some watermelon before heading home for another work week.  The weekends just go by too fast!

Miss Sass!

Lovin' her watermelon!

Nom, Nom, Nom!



Shhhh....

~*Marissa has an announcement to make*~

That's right!  Marissa is going to be a big sister.  I made this shirt to announce the news to our families.  I told you to stay tuned, didn't I?! :-D

Marissa's baby brother or sister should make his or her appearance around mid January.  I go for an ultrasound on June 1st to get a more definitive answer on my due date.  We are excited to add a new addition to our growing family.  We figured that Marissa doesn't have any cousins nearby, so she needs someone to play with! ;-)

If we are friends on Facebook, please no public messages on my wall.  We are waiting until the 2nd trimester to make any official announcements on there.  A lot can happen in the 1st trimester and while we are hopeful that this will be a healthy pregnancy, we would prefer to not mention it until we are sailing into the 2nd trimester.  Thanks!

We found out that I was pregnant 2 weeks ago.  I had been feeling a bit off and decided that I would take a test just to make sure.  It's a good thing I stocked up on those dollar tree pregnancy tests!  Danny wanted me to wait another week to test but when I got home I just had a feeling and decided to take a leap and POAS (pee on a stick).  Within seconds I saw two pink lines!  Even though the symptoms were classic to my pregnancy with Marissa and we hadn't exactly been "trying" or "preventing" I was still shocked, happy, excited and elated with joy!  Danny came home and I had the test sitting on the bathroom counter.  I told him he needed to come in and look at something.  You would have thought this was his first rodeo because he asked "what does that mean?"  I said that means Marissa is going to be a big sister!  He got a huge smile on his face and said "really?" 

So that was our excitement for a Monday!  The rest of that week and on into the next week I was really feeling the consequences of our actions.  I was sick, sick, sick!  I felt like I had been out all night binge drinking like I did in my "younger years."  Remember my post from last Monday?  Yeah, that was morning sickness in full gear.  I had to go home because I had gotten sick at work and to top it off I had a cold coming on.  I think I fell asleep on the couch early every night the week that we found out.  Pregnancy can take a lot out of you.  Towards the end of last week I started feeling much better.  As long as I eat every couple of hours and don't over do it in the mornings, I seem to be over the morning sickness. 

I know that Marissa will make a great big sister and will be showing the new baby "all the ropes" in no time!  She has been such a joy and has filled our hearts with so much love.  I know that our journey into Two Under Two (2U2) will be trying and hard at times, but I know that it will be so worth it!