Mommy's little helper

Whatever would I do without my little laundry buddy?

Our week

Wow, is it Thursday already? Thought I'd sign-in for a brief update on our week. And of course some sweet Gemma pics!

Monday evening was interesting. When Gemma awoke from her nap her cheeks were a bit rosy. I didn't think much of it, until they stayed that way. And as the early evening progressed she started feeling a bit warm. Upon taking her temp I discovered a 102.3 fever. HOLY COW!!! She nursed and napped for a bit around 6 which is totally unlike her. She hasn't taken an evening nap since last summer. Then she woke up when daddy got home from work and you could tell she felt just awful. This picture is just so sweet I think.
She curled up on Aaron's tummy while he was watching America's Funniest Videos. Now, Gemma really doesn't watch TV. Oh, she'll glance at the Weather Channel in the mornings when Aaron has it on, but we don't do DVD's or PBS or anything like that yet. Well, she curled up with daddy and had just a grand old time watching. She would sit up, squeal and say "woof woof, PUPPY!" And then snuggle right back down with daddy and her trusty blankie. Aaron said, is it any wonder? The show consists 95% of puppies and babies doing cute things. Well, we she had a small dinner of oatmeal and fruit and then we gave her a quick bath which really seemed to perk her up. After that she seemed hungry and ate a bunch of chicken. We went ahead and gave her some Tylenol just before bed to help make her more comfortable. She nursed and went to sleep just fine. She woke up around 11 and had a pretty rough time between 11-midnight. I figured at that point, "brace yourself...we're in for a rough night." Well, I got her resettled in her bed just before midnight, and to my utter surprise wasn't up with her again until she got up the next morning at 7:45. WHAT?!!! And on top of that, she woke up fever free and happy as can be, and has been fine ever since. She cut another tooth on Tuesday, but I really don't think the tooth would have caused a fever THAT high. Weirdness. I'm just thankful to God that she's doing fine albeit a tiny bump in the road.

Then yesterday my mom, sis, nephew and I headed to the park. What FUN the kiddos had. It was Gemma's first time at this particular park since last summer...and she has changed just a wee bit since then. She LOVED it, as evidenced by the following pics.
We got Lent off to a nice start yesterday, both Gemma and I attended morning Mass and received our ashes at our parish. I found a sweet little book at the Catholic store called "Mary's Big Surprise". It is a precious story about Jesus' life, death, and Resurrection as seen through the eyes of Mary Magdalen. It is by the same authors who wrote "Where are you, little lamb?", one of Gemma's favorite books. It is just the right lenght for her attention span, and the illustrations are completely precious. The animals in the story are quite animated, and it is just too cute to see their expressions as the story progresses. A great way to teach about Jesus to the wee-est little ones. I thought it would be something simple and repetitive we could do daily during Lent together.

Well, that just about sums up our week. This weather is such a delightful foretaste of spring...makes me excited for the weeks and months to come.

CHEERS!

Going to the zoo

Well what a morning we had! We went to Mass yesterday evening so didn't have a whole lot up around here come this morning. Aaron was planning on heading off to the gym, and I was a bit bummed about just hanging around here all morning. I mean, I like our home and I love Gemma and everything, but still... Well, Aaron surprised me by saying, "let's go to the zoo". We had gotten some money for Christmas that we decided to designate towards a family zoo membership. And it was nice this morning (cool, but no wind) and it just sounded like a great idea. I absolutely jumped at the chance. Well, we headed over and got there right as they were opening. We got one of the memberships that is for our family plus we can take a guest with us. This will be great for times that just one or the other of us takes Gemma, and would like to invite a guest to come along. And then, they proceeded to tell us to hang onto our receipt, because since the zoo is not-for-profit, we can turn this in as a charitable contribution. How about that?! Never would have thought that. Woot! Anyways, so Gemma had been to the zoo once before but she was like three-months old, so she was quite a bit more interactive this time. We were a little tight on time, as she typically eats lunch and goes down for her nap fairly early in the afternoon. But we made the most of the time we had, visiting the Asian and American petting farms, the jungle and the herpetarium. We all had such an awesome time, what a great family outing! And I am so super exciting about being able to head off with Gemma whenever I feel like it, however often I want, for however long I want, and I can bring a guest! BONUS! What a fun activity for this coming spring. And summer. And fall. YAY!!

Well, of course no event for me is complete unless I bring my camera. So here are the pics we took.

Daddy and Gemma at the Zoo entrance. She's getting a bit big for the front carrier, but she just loves it. And it's so much fun for her to be at eye-level walking around. I think it makes her feel much more a part of things than the stroller does, and Aaron just loves carrying her around.
The flamingoes were being really noisy, she was quite captivated by the racket.
Beautiful baby girl, albeit a cold little nose.
Woof! ...maybe...... hmmmmm Max, you are having one bad hair day!
With mommy in the jungle.
The whole family. It was a pretty quiet morning around there, which was great, but meant we couldn't find anyone to take our picture. Oh well, Aaron took this and it turned out pretty good I think! Well, good enough anyways.
As we were getting Gemma strapped up in the car seat to head home, I made the mistake of mentioning the "D" word. Let me back up...as we left home to head to the zoo, I told Aaron that it would probably be best for D. O. L. L. Y. to stay at home. You see, she goes everywhere with us. She goes to the store, to church, to grandma's, EV-ry-where. Well, with thoughts of the petting farm and creepy-crawly snakes, I just didn't think the zoo would be the best place for the beloved ragdoll. And Gemma, amazingly, didn't seem to miss her until goofy mommy dropped her name as we were getting in the car. I don't even remember in what context I said it, but as soon as that little word hit missy-magoo's ears I heard, "doll, DOLL, where's doll, WHERE'S DOLL?!!!", getting ever more concerned as she progressed through this thought-process. There were even a few tears, bless her heart. But then I offered her some goldfish and she was distracted enough until we got home. Such a happy reunion they had, alas.
Well, I hope everyone else's weekend has been as enjoyable as ours. What a blessing this life is. God is good.

Mornings with daddy

We are very blessed to have a daddy who does not have to leave for work super early. And therefore (most mornings) he gets some special time to spend with his Gemma. And her seahorse. Lately she has become very attached to her "lovey's"...blankie (namely its beloved corners), dolly, and seahorse. It's cute. This morning when we heard her stir, I poked my head in without her seeing me (I love doing that) and she was standing there holding the seahorse (who was playing) out in front of her, holding the bedrail with her other hand, and "dancing" (bobbing her head up and down with a gleeful smile on her face). Too cute. And for the record, she had an awesome night last night. YAY! Guess it just took some blog therapy. Teehee. Baby-steps, we'll get there. Sometimes I think (and as someone else pointed out to me) it's not always her that needs to change, but often my own attitude. Day at a time...life is good.

As promised...

As I promised, I am here today to share with you a much happier blog-post. But first, I must say thank you to some great friends out there. The comments/messages I've received have been so nice. I appreciate and treasure any tips I can get from other moms of young kiddos, so keep it coming! And sometimes it's just encouraging (no offense) to hear that there are other people out there going through the same thing. I even got a phone call this evening from a former co-worker of mine who has a son several months older than Gemma, just called to say hey and that he'd read my post and wanted to tell me not to worry and that I was doing a good job. How nice is that?!! Thank you everyone!

Gemma actually had a pretty good night last night. As Aaron said, it seems just when I'm starting to get really frustrated she tosses in a better night as if to say, "see mom, I can do this, I'm learning." God is good.

So anyways, on to our happy day. We hosted our very first playdate at our house this morning, and it was so much fun. Six toddlers and a baby and four mommies (including Gemma and myself) and it was just great! I am blessed to have some wonderful mommy friends. Again, God is so good. I am grateful to have friends with whom I share the same morals and values...friends who are like-minded when it comes to the way in which we raise our kiddos...friends whose kids are sweet, polite, well-mannered, and just a joy to have around. We had a great time chatting and snacking on some yummy breakfast foods while the kiddos played. Great day!!

And here, as I also promised, are some cute pics. I forgot to take any during the playdate (doggone) so decided to whip the camera out during bathtime tonight. I want to see if you notice the common thread in these four pictures (besides the fact that they're all of Gemma in the bathtub).
Did you notice?? Yep, that's what my hubby does to play with (antagonize?) little Gemma when she's in the bathtub. Suctions that little froggie to her shoulder just out of her reach. It is really rather funny, kind of like watching a dog chase it's tail. Otherwise (as you can see in the pictures) it really doesn't seem to bother her. Silly girl...silly hubby!

Well, here's to a great weekend for everyone. Thanks for checking in with us, and again, thanks for the encouragement!

Frustrations..

Okay, so I really don't want this blog to turn into a platform to vent my frustrations, but in doing so once in awhile, I hope to maybe glean some advice from some of you other moms out there with wee-ones. If you simply don't care, or just don't want to hear about it, you may want to skip this post, and I promise to have some happy cute pictures and sweet stories to share in the very near future. For the rest of you...

Here goes. Miss Gemma is such a sweet little soul, don't get me wrong, but there are just a few things about which I have a few concerns. Namely her night-sleep, and some of her eating habits. She has never slept through the night. If I had known before she was born that I would be typing this note I probably would have had a heart attack right there on the spot. I'm much more cool with it now, I've done a lot of reading and I know this isn't totally out of the ordinary. At her best, she's gone through phases where she's awoken once or twice a night. We're definitely not at our best now. Here's how a typical night plays out at our house...she goes to bed (in her room) between 7:30 and 8, nurses to sleep about half the time, the other times she is rocked down by either me or Aaron. The first 4 or so hours of her night are relatively good. If she stirs she's usually able to resettle herself without help from mom or dad. However, that time-span from approximately midnight to four is incredibly rough. She's restless, she cries and gets upset, she nurses (which is fine with me if she's really hungry, determining whether she's hungry or just seeking comfort is what's difficult), sometimes she comes in our bed, sometimes she and Aaron go snuggle on the sofa, sometimes she and I rock. About the longest stretch she'll sleep during that period without needing mommy or daddy is 1 1/2 hours. It's frustrating. I know it is a time that I need to exercise patience, and look at it as an opportunity to grow in grace, but holy cow it is just getting to be too much some nights. Then once we get her resettled in her bed by 4/4:30, she typically sleeps well on her own until 7:30 or 8am, and again is able to resettle herself upon awakening (she often stirs a bit around 6:30-7 but then drops back off on her own). I just can't figure it out. Is it hunger? Is it teething (she currently has seven teeth, working on #8)? Am I doing something wrong? What's going on? She does nap well, some days better than others (as with any child) but her naps range from 1 1/2 to 3 hours in the afternoon (she dropped the AM nap around 10 months), and probably typically average just over 2 hours. So I think we're doing all right in that department. But the nights, oh the nights... Neither Aaron nor I are fans of the "cry it out" method. And not to judge people who do let their kids cry it out, but it just isn't for us. Of this we are very sure. But, that leaves us where we are. Wondering. Of course Aaron is more cool about everything, he is Mr. level-headed and doesn't really let much get him riled. Ever. He is so very good for me. I, on the other hand, must over-analyze everything, and this is just really getting me in a tizzy lately.

And then there's her issues with eating. Eating is something she has sporadically done well with, but never really has settled into being that "great eater" I always imagined she'd be. She goes through spurts where she eats a ton (growth spurts?) but other times it's tough to get her to eat more than 4-5 bites a meal (teething?) She still doesn't do well with finger foods at all. Oh she'll do cheerios and goldfish, or a slice of bread. Maybe a few bites of a scrambled egg. And then she will just chuck everything on the floor. Not maliciously, but by the same token it really isn't appropriate behavior. I've taken to grabbing the food when I catch her doing this and saying, "Oh, this is so sad, we don't throw our food. Food all gone," (a la Love and Logic) and then just taking the food. Funny thing is though, if I offer her more out of my hand, nine times out of ten she'll eat it from me. Aggghhh!! Then she'll get frustrated with me feeding her and want it on her tray again. And the circle repeats itself. She eats the rest of her meals from me on a spoon. With me holding her hands. Because she swats. And she doesn't always want to open her mouth. So she sputters and yells. Again, I know it's not malicious, but is this normal for a 13 month old? I thought by 13 months most kiddos were able to feed themselves pretty well. Any other type of finger food I put on her tray automatically hits the floor, so it just seems counterproductive to even try a whole lot of that. And when we do this meals where she gets a sum total of five or six bites, that can't be healthy. I do offer two snacks a day also, after nap and before bed. And (sorry to be graphic) she does poop well most of the time, so I would guess this would imply she's eating okay. But still, I look at other children's eating habits and just see things that I don't see in Gemma. I'll be honest, with her current eating habits I would never consider a restaurant with her.

So, for those of you who've made it this far, there you have it. I really don't want to sound whiney. I know I have it very good, and Gemma has so many sweet qualities that I can't stay upset for long. She is happy, loving, she plays well, she smiles almost constantly, she is learning to listen to directions and understand "no", she is just an all around joy. And when I hold that sleeping wee-little bundle after rocking her to sleep, my heart still melts just looking at her. Never-the-less, here I am, venting my frustrations. Any advice anyone would care to share is certainly appreciated, either as a comment on here or a message on my Facebook or email (monnimusic@yahoo.com)

Thank you!!! Happier topics next go-around, I promise!

Valentines weekend

We had such a nice Valentines weekend. Maybe the best ever for me! And nothing incredibly super-special or anything, it was just a nice weekend together as a family. Friday Gemma and I made a new picture-poster for daddy's office as a Valentine for him. He hadn't gotten a new one for over three months, so it was a nice surprise for him. Saturday morning we got around and met a good friend/Gemma's godmother for breakfast at Village Inn. Gemma was such a good girl, sat in the high chair for over an hour and just played, drank her milk, and ate a few bites of mommy's pancakes (sans the syrup). What a sweetie. I was so proud of her. After naptime we went to the mall to pick out my Valentines perfume that Aaron wanted to get me. I finally found the scent that I really liked, I mean, it was TOTALLY "the one"...and they were out of it. So I'm holding out, I wasn't going to settle for something else. Oh well, gives me something for which to look forward. Gemma and I gave daddy his Valentine present, a hand-saw. Exciting, I know. Hey, he's a practical guy and it was something he needed, he was pretty thrilled about it to be honest. Saturday evening we lit a fire for the family to enjoy, and then after Gemma went to bed Aaron cooked a nice dinner of crab-legs, yummy garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus. mmmMMMMMM!!!! So like I said, it was just a very special day spent with my two special Valentines. Hope all of you had equally wonderful weekends. Thanks for checking in!! I'll add a few pics from the weekend below.

Gemma and daddy enjoying our Valentines fire.
Gemma all gussied up for Mass Sunday morning. We had a "heart" theme this past week, something with a heart on it every day!
Gemma's new trick...she's so proud of herself!

Mommy and her sweet little valentine

Didn't have anyone to take my picture with my honey. We've had a great day, though. More later. Cheers!!!

Thirteen months, and a peek into our week

So, missy-magoo turned 13 months yesterday. And here is the obligatory pic. Only this time, it's obligatory pics. You see, I just can't decide which one I like best. Your opinion?? Each one is such a cute depiction of her personality, I just can't decide which one to put in her book. Leave me a comment and tell me which one you like best! We're trying "no bangs", as that is what she'll get once her hair gets longer and thicker. I am trying to avoid that "bangs back to the middle of the head" look with her, so we'll just go with "no bangs" until she gets a little older...
It's been quite a good week, her cold is pretty much gone and her appetite is back to normal for the most part, so that's been great. I have found that the girl love love LOVES spaghetti and meatballs. It's great!! I am thinking it's the tomato, so I am seriously considering mixing some of her other foods with tomato sauce and seeing if she eats them any better. Is that bad? She figured out how to drink out of her milk sippy (no handles) all on her own. She just seems to pick something new up every day.
So, today was the official beginning of consignment sale season. YAY!!!!!!!!! We are in need of lots of spring/summer clothes among other things. I found probably 10 or so outfits at today's sale, so that's a great start. Mainly just comfy-casual summer-wear. Nothing spectacular, but none-the-less I'm very excited about what I got. Also found two pair of summer shoes. Hopefully they will fit, I had trouble gauging what size she'll be wearing this summer. We're still lacking in the jammy department, but when I'm able to get such good deals on other things it's not the end of the world if I have to get the jammies new. I can't believe it but her 12month ones are already starting to get on the snug side (lengthwise, go figure). I think she grows in her sleep!!

I also picked up a little toy for her today. It is a shape sorter (see pics). She got one of those tupperware ones for Christmas, with which she does great with assistance, but this one she is able to do a little more independently. It has three shapes, with four pieces of each shape. She really seems to like it!!
And in this picture, I will explain, she is signing "more".
This is one of the latest things she has learned and it's sooooo cute (and useful). Although she doesn't always sign it at the right time for the right reason, she is really figuring it out. Here she is signing that she wanted to play more shapes. She will sign more at the dinner table (even if she doesn't always want more...yeah, we're still learning) and when we're reading books to signal that she wants to read another book. Pretty sweet. And here's a great story. Aaron rocked her down the other night and put her in bed asleep (he thought). He said as soon as he laid her down her eyes popped wide open, and she looked up at him with a grin on her face and signed "more". Too cute. So she and daddy got a bit more snuggle time. How could you resist a request like that?!

Well, I think that's about it for the week. Like I said, holler and let me know which pic you like the best of the three 13-month ones. Thanks!!

TTFN!!!

Gemma and mommy make Valentines

OK, sometimes I feel like I am a bit redundant between here and my Facebook page. However I know there are people out there who read my blog with whom I am not friends on FB, and vice-versa, soooooo...if this is a rerun, then you can ignore. BUT, for the rest of you...

Gemma and I worked together to make some Valentines on Saturday morning. We went to the store and picked out some cute cards. Then we came home and I let Gemma "sign" each one. It was her first experience with markers, and she did pretty well. We tried some Crayola "TaDoodles" paints that she had received for her birthday, but she actually did better with the markers I think. As you will see from the pictures, the paper was NOT the only place that the marker ended up. AND, I have learned that I really probably should purchase some washable markers for the girl child. No permanent marks left anywhere, but she did go to Mass Saturday evening with a bit pinker nose than normal. :-D

Anyways, she did great with it until she started tiring of the project, at which point she would promptly chuck the markers on the floor when handed to her. Made for some interesting colorful specks, some of which I'm still discovering, and I now have a kitchen rag that may be permanently pinkish, but, eh. Oh well. We had fun and made some great little Valentines. I'm just sad we have to give them all away. I need to just get a piece of paper and have her make some "art" for our fridge, too.

So, here's the photo evidence. Pretty sweet, I think.

"Ooooh, wha-sat?!!" she says.
I can do this!
See?! Look at me!
Ooooooohhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Where's Gemma???
PEEK-A-BOO!!!! (notice the pink nose)
And this last picture I just thought was soooo sweet. It's not the typical smiley Gemma. A more pensive look indeed. But you can see a little grin peeking through, and she and "Dolly" are just such good buddies. Plus, the sunlight streaming through the window just gave it a "happy" feeling. I thought it was quite sweet.
HAPPY (early) VALENTINES DAY from Gemma-goo and her mommy and daddy too!!!!

More playtime pics

Thought I'd add some more pics of Gemma playing. Her toy containers are just the right height at which for her to stand and pull out toys. She gets a big kick out of doing this, and is even learning to help me clean up in the evening before dinner!
Here is her little car I got at a consignment sale last fall. Finally growing into it. It also pops up into a taller position and she can use it as a walker, which she's also just now getting the hang of.
Here is her piggy that she got at the Credit Union today. She has had quite a fascination lately with not only putting things in her mouth, but actually bending over and picking them up with her mouth. She'll do it with blocks, stacking cups, and, well, pigs obviously.
Lovin' on her Cabbage Patch, Rena.
Cute close-up!
Okay, that's all for now. Just took some sweet pics this afternoon and thought I'd share. Have a great weekend!

Sickie

Well, it's been a rather rough week around here. My little Gemma-goo has not been feeling well since Monday. It all hit at once, like one moment she was fine and then all of a sudden she has a runny nose and fever and the works. Poor gal, I wonder how long she'd been feeling badly (you know, the nagging sore throat, etc.) before I realized. Well, the fever broke Monday night and she was just left with a horribly runny nose and nagging cough on Tuesday and Wednesday, but now the fever is back again today. Poor baby. We're just taking it a moment at a time...napping when she feels like it, eating when she can, whatever. Hopefully it goes away on it's own, I think we'll give her through the weekend and if she's not up to par (or close to it) by Monday we may consider a doctor visit. I'll keep you posted.

So, aside from the sickness here are some other updates...

Gemma is really starting to "play" now, and it's so cute to watch. She likes to crawl around the house and go back to her room and play with the books back there. I've been just kind of leaving her, and peeking in on her to see that she's not into anything (CD player, nightlite). I know it's good to give her some independence, and for her to learn to play on her own.

She got this shape sorter for Christmas, and can put every shape in all by herself. I have to show her the correct slot, but then she can maneuver the shape in all on her own. Smart girl. She also has learned to play peek-a-boo, and will play just about anywhere, with just about anything. She'll use her hands, a blankie, furniture, books, the mail. It is so stinkin' cute!! All I have to say is "Where's Gemma???"...and off we go!
These final pictures just crack me up. We have this drink-mix called Greens First. It is kind of a supplement-type thing with servings of fruits/veggies in it. Of course we eat real fruits and veggies around here too, but heaven knows no one eats enough of that stuff. Anyways, it's one of the few nutritional supplements Aaron sells at his office, and so we partake in it here at home too. Well, we thought we'd let Gemma give it a try. Now let me tell you, this stuff is not a pretty color. It really does look downright gross. Guess it just goes to show you what preconceieved notions do to you. She LOVED it! Look at the sheer glee. It was completely hilarious. She just kept wanting to drink more. Gotta love that!
Well, that's all for now folks. Thanks for checking in!