First Birthday Cake Smash

Recently we celebrated Cheese's first birthday. We skipped the huge party since he's too little to understand the birthday thing. But we did do a cake smash. If you aren't sure what a cake smash is, it's when you give a baby a whole entire cake, and allow them to devour it. So entertaining. Cheese's cake smash was hysterical but it didn't go how I expected...
 

Mom, I'm not sure what you want me to do here...

Wait...you want me to touch this? And eat it too?

This is gross. I don't want to touch it.

I do like the spoon though. Spoons are great...but I think I'm done

I HATE THIS! Why are you making me do this?

Here, Cheese, let me help you. 

Mom! Chocolate cake is the best! I don't know why Cheese doesn't want to eat any of it!

 When we did this for Mac's first birthday, he was all over the cake....and the cake was all over him. 

Aren't kids funny? I guess that cake isn't his thing. Weird, I know! I just don't understand it. These boys are polar opposites in just about every way. What are your kids like? Do you have kids with opposite personalities?

3 Parenting Books that Have Made My Life Easier

I think that every parent gets to the point where they feel stuck on an issue with their child - Sleeping, Eating, Schedules, etc. So maybe a book will help, right? But there's so many, so how do you know what to choose? These three books have been unbelievably helpful to me over the past several years.

 

1. Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth
I wish I had known about this book when my older son was born. I had SO MUCH trouble getting him to sleep enough. He hated sleeping (still does). I had so many sleep battles with him when he was younger. But what I didn't know was how much I really didn't understand about sleep. Around my son's first birthday a friend recommended this book to me after a comment about his sleep deprivation. This book helped me correct his sleep issues. It explains how sleep works, why certain sleep issues to occur, and how to fix those problems. The knowledge from this book has helped me so much and my baby has much better sleep habits than my older son did at this age. We still encounter sleep issues from time to time, but it's so much easier to fix the problems now.

2. How to Get Your Kid to Eat: But Not Too Much by Ellyn Satter
We've had feeding battles with my older since...uhhh...birth. No lie. When it comes to eating, he can usually think of about 23,546 other things that he would rather do. It's not exactly that he hates food, but he just isn't that interested in eating (except chocolate). I suspect that the fact that he had projectile reflux as an infant has some sort of subconscious influence toward his food apathy. This was a huge issue for us when he was younger. I was constantly stressed about his food consumption. It wasn't something that I expressed too often, but it was always in the back of my mind. How to Get Your Kid to Eat But Not Too Much talks about strategies to teach your child to be a healthy eater. It discusses different problems that occur during different age groups as well and how to deal with them in a conflict free manner. After implementing these strategies, my husband and I were able to help our son to become a better eater. He is still a picky eater, but the food "battles" at the dinner table have diminished significantly. And we can always get him to at least try his food. (That never happened before the book). (This book was recommended by the occupational therapist that worked with my older son on his feeding issues as a baby AND the strategies in this book are also taught in WIC programs)

3. On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the Gift of Nighttime Sleep by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam
I've used the Babywise strategies with both of my boys. Between 12 to 15 weeks of age both of them were sleeping 12 hour stretches at night...It may have been a little longer with my older son due to his projectile vomiting (good times). Babywise emphasizes the importance of establishing a consistent schedule with your baby which in turn allows flexibility when you aren't always able to maintain the schedule (aka grocery shopping day). I really love the wake/feed/play/sleep cycle that they teach in this book too. There are a few things that I'm not completely on board with, but overall, this is a great book that has helped us establish good habits.

I realize that these books and strategies aren't for everyone - especially when it comes to Babywise. It seems that even the mention of Babywise stirs up ill feelings in people. It's cool. Don't worry about it. I promise I won't think you are a bad parent if you choose to do things a different way from me. These books and strategies have helped us establish the environment that we are striving for in our specific family. Every family is unique in the way that they operate and the goals that they establish. But if you are looking for information, then these are the books I would recommend to start off with. :) What parenting books have you found helpful?

Where have you been?

Have you missed me? Say yes. Even if you don't mean it. Humor me.

In case you missed it, which I seriously doubt you did, I had a baby. Almost a year ago. When I got pregnant at the beginning of 2012, I had hardest time doing anything other than laying face down on the couch and sleeping or puking in the toilet. Basically that's how my entire pregnancy went. Mostly. Good times. Not really, but totally worth it for the baby.

Our second baby was born at the end of the September after a week of on again/off again labor. So aggravating. This time around I chose not to have a birth plan, simply because I wanted to be flexible. My first son's birth didn't go quite how I hoped or planned and I was a bit disappointed (I wanted to go natural but wasn't rested enough to make it to the end). So this time I didn't plan. I probably would have attempted to do a natural birth again except for the fact that labor was frequent during that last week, that I was too hungry or tired to even consider a natural birth. (I lost a LOT of sleep that last week, and wasn't able to eat much either). When it was really time to go to the hospital this time, I just wanted an epidural so I could sleep and I wanted that kid to come OUT. And he did. About 12 hours after we checked in.

{Check out that awesome lanugo hair on his back. Such a hairy little guy}

7 lbs 10oz & 20 inches long. He looked a lot like his brother but shorter and fatter. But just a little. :)

So then after I had the baby I was super tired (of course). And I nursed this little guy. So there was no taking turns during the midnight feedings with Joel. He started sleeping for 12 hour stretches at night at the end of December, so I got more sleep at that point. But somehow between caring for an infant as well as a preschooler, I was still tired.

{Christmas Eve}

Summer proved to be chaotic and although I was rested when summer started, the chaos of summer undid my restful demeanor. We took a road trip to visit Thomas the Train, replaced the entire downstairs floor (I'll blog about that soon), my husband had about 123,897 business trips (summer is the busy season when you work in the IT field), I got super sick with a crazy sinus infection that knocked the socks off the doctors, and I managed to over-exhaust my infant and he started waking up at the crack of dawn (5:30 AM). It took FOREVER to figure out how to fix that one. (Let me tell you how awesome it was to get up at 5:30 AM with a tired baby while you are super sick and your spouse is out of town. Basically I wanted to cry those days. But I didn't. Because I'm tough. Not really.)

{Thomas the Train!!!}

But things have calmed down now. I've been on a crazy amount of antibiotics (and my face doesn't hurt from the sinus infection), the busy season is coming to a close for my spouse, the baby is sleeping until 7 AM again, our floors are done, AND my older son started preschool!

{I think this is the funniest photo ever, specifically because the older kid is accidentally covering his face and it looks like I'm about to drop the younger one. His facial expression is priceless. He is SO the younger sibling. I laugh out loud every time I see this photo.}

So basically what I am telling you is that I had to take a break from blogging between pregnancy and the first year of baby #2 because I was tired. And the thought of blogging during this time was not something I could manage. I know plenty of people manage to do both during those times, and basically I think they are like amazing. Super mom. Not me. But life has calmed down. And I'm not tired like I was before. So I'm back. Did you miss me? Say yes. ;)

Alone Time

Here I am! Did you miss me? Well, if you actually did miss me, you probably still will, because I still lack motivation due to pregnancy brain and exhaustion. So it's pretty likely that I won't post too often for a couple more months. My mom took The Toddler to "Old McDonald's" (aka McDonald's) for lunch, and so I have a little more time to myself today and a little more energy, which is why I've decided blog. So here's what you've missed:

• We found out that we are having another BOY.  The Spouse and I are completely content with this, but we would have been happy either way. This little one is due to make an appearance in Mid-October, but I'm hoping we don't don't go all the way to 40 weeks, especially since I only went to 37 weeks with The Toddler. (He wasn't a toddler back then, though)

 I think it's possible that this picture may not be appropriate. ;)

• Pregnancy during the summer is THE WORST! I knew it would be and it is just as unpleasant as I thought it would be. (The things you do for your kids!) Oh well. 
• I am not a nice pregnant person. In fact, I'm like the polar opposite of my normal self. My husband and I joke about that pregnancy is my alter-ego. It's not that I want to be mean, or try, but it just sneaks out before I realize what's happening. I feel like I am on one giant stretch of PMS. (I want you guys to know that I really am still trying to be nice...I just fail frequently) Sad and unfortunate, but true. So I just want to thank all my friends for putting up with me for all this time. I really do like all of you guys, and I still want to be friends!!!!
• I am the most comfortable when sitting in the recliner with my feet up. Therefore, I've read a lot of books lately. Plus, my brother recently bought me the new Nook Glow and I have just discovered the wonderful world of ebooks from the library. It really can't get any better than this. (just kidding). Btw - I am always up for a good book recommendation. Tell me what you've read! 

 Pretend like you don't see that pile of unfolded laundry in the backgroud.

• I've recently noticed a change in The Toddler's social development. I've started to notice that he has become a little more lonely lately. But at the same time, he doesn't even realize that he's lonely since at the moment he is an only child and doesn't know any different. So my husband and I decided to sign him up for a couple of activities this summer - a tumbling class, soccer, and horse back riding. I've also made more of an effort to schedule at least one play date a week. I've seen a huge difference in him too. 

Sorry about the sideways video! The Toddler is in the yellow shirt and his teacher is trying to show him how to do a somersault.

• I've mentioned it before, but I have blood sugar issues during pregnancy (which basically requires me to eat every 1.5 hours and avoid ALL sweets and starches). There are two blogs that I frequently check for awesome food ideas - Kath Eats Real Food and Sugar Free Mom. Check them out!!! 
• I am now on Instagram, thanks to my awesome friend, Sarah. You can follow me @MusicianAtHeart. Wait...did that count as a shameless plug? If you answered yes, I apologize. ;)
• The spouse and I recently went on a mini-vacation/business trip together to Colorado Springs - without The Toddler! We visited the Olympic Training Center, Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, ate great food, turned down a hippie begging for ice cream and cigarettes (no joke), and I did a serious amount of lounging.

I hope to blog a little more often, but don't hold your breath for that one. :) I'm at the point to where I refuse to commit to things while I am smack in the middle of pregnancy...honestly I probably won't be ready for extra commitments until after the baby is born and I'm not sleep deprived. Maybe January? Until then, I'll try to update when I can. :)

Thankful.

I usually avoid writing about topics talking about being thankful around Thanksgiving. I find them sappy. Isn't that horrible? I know. It is. Ha ha. But despite my cynical attitude, I promise I really am thankful. I am thankful for many things. But I feel very blessed to have my husband, and my son in my life. My husband is my best friend, and greatest support. My son fills my heart with love. I am thankful for them.

I took this photo of my husband and son about two years ago. My son was about 7 months old. We were at a pumpkin patch waiting for the hayride.

Happy Thanksgiving!