Ringling Brothers

Went to the circus tonight. Saw some elephants and acrobats. M LOVED it. It's safe to say we'll be going again next year.
With a cute clown nose.
G rode around in the baby hawk and slept for over 1/2 the show. So sweet.The fam.The elephants.There was a lot of pointing going on.
Enjoying the $12 cotton candy. I about had a heart attack when I realized that yes, she really HAD said TWELVE dollars. The hat it came in:Sharing Delaney's NINE dollar snow cone. In all it was a blast. M did so much better than I even thought she would. She sat on dad's lap and watched the show. She did get tired and antsy at the end, but impressed me over all!

Just updates

No pics today, sorry. I'm trying to make a better effort at not having 300 pics a month! We are going to the circus tomorrow night and then my sister will be here for the weekend, so I'm sure the next few days will be pic heavy!

Well, last night G screamed all night pretty much :( I am wondering if his cereal bothered him. Today I gave it to him for breakfast instead so that maybe if it was a problem it would happen sooner. He seemed fine. He also had some bananas!

I am so torn as to what to do. I know that most people say that babies don't "need" to eat at 6 months, but I really feel that he is truly hungry when he wakes up! The "No Cry Sleep Solution" stated that the way to make them go back to sleep without eating is to take it away from them before they're "done." If I stop feeding him before he thinks he's done he screams and screams! I hate this.

One thing I learned from the book is that kids need an early bedtime. We have always had M go to bed at 9 for selfish reasons. I don't get home until 8 when I work and I want to be able to see the kids. Well, it's not really working the best anymore. She is SO TIRED by the time we put her to sleep. We have spent the last few days moving it up. Tonight I took her up at 7:50 and her lights were out by 8. She used to fuss a bit when I left the room, but since the change no fussing! We've never had a problem with her sleeping all night, but she is SO GROUCHY lately. Thus, we decided to move up bedtime to help her be more rested. It's an easy time for the transition as winter is approaching quickly and it's getting dark earlier.

Here's our new routine:
1 bath around 7 or so
2 downstairs for a drink of milk and the Lullaby Baby Einstein to quiet things down
3 back up to brush teeth
4 read 2 books
5 turn out lights and sing two songs

I am very satisfied with the change, not to mention how much time I have in the evening all of a sudden! G's routine is close to the same. He's been taking an evening nap at like 6 or 7 for awhile for about 30 minutes. Well, I think the book helped me realize that he doesn't want a nap, he's just ready for bed. It seems so early, but I really do think he's just tired and wants to sleep. Now if I could just fix the overnight problem...

I spent my day making peas and squash to freeze. I have apples to make tomorrow. I bought small apples which is going to be a pain in the neck, but they were local and on sale so I felt obligated...

M is getting her 2 year molars. The upper left one is through already! I wish they'd hurry up! No teeth for G yet. I remember being sad when M got teeth because it changed her smile. I love it now, but it's kind of just another reminder of how old they are getting.

Cereal

I've been sad about starting solids with G. For some reason it just seems like too much for me. I knew it was time or we'd start running into texture issues and such...so today we started some lunch time cereal. I'm going to start trying to give it to him at night, but I wanted the first time to be during the day in case it gave him a tummy ache or something. HE LOVED IT. He was definitely ready to have it. He took the spoon like a champ! He always just acts like everything's no big deal. I think maybe tomorrow I'll try a banana!

In anticipation:Watching the spoon...Such a good job!Here's a video of the experience! Kinda boring, but you can see how good he does!


Oh, he started standing up on things yesterday...I'm sure you've seen our white toy basket in previous posts...well it was turned over upside down yesterday and he just pulled himself right up! Pretty soon I'm going to have two walkers :(

Bath Buddies

They are so funny in the bath together. M would never sit like that, so I had to get her a bath seat. Though G makes me pretty nervous, he doesn't need the seat at all. He crawls all around in there, lays down and sits up. I got his 6 month shoot done today- it turned out really well even though he wasn't nearly as smiley as he is normally. Of course... He actually did the real crawl a few times today when we were getting it done! Not well, but I'm sure it won't be long! I also gave him a sippy for the first time today. He acted like he'd had one a million times drinking his water. It made me sad...

I also went to JJill and tried on some jeans. I've been in total denial about how fat I am. I've simply got to get it under control. Dang...I just don't feel ready yet. I know I won't be successful unless I'm truly ready. We are talking about getting a treadmill soon, so maybe that will help.

I got a new book today- obviously the one on sleep. We'll see how it works. I've been reading it today. Can't do anything until next week. It does make me realize that twice a night isn't nearly as bad as some people have it, but I really have got to get it down to one before I go insane.

I'm going to start giving him cereal on Monday. I've got sweet potatoes, green beans, and carrots made in the freezer. Still gotta do fruits and peas. I think I'll start with avacados and bananas anyway and you don't freeze those anyhow. It's a busy life!

A Very Merry 1/2 Birthday

So I would like to ask everyone to look up at the top of the page at the second ticker. Amazing. I honestly never expected to be here. 6 months and not a drop of anything but breastmilk. No cereal or food yet and no formula. I truly feel as if making it here is more than I could have ever imagined. I am not saying anyone who needs formula is beneath me, but if you know my struggles, you can share my awe at this accomplishment.G continues to amaze me every day. He'll soon be crawling and walking I'm sure. He is constantly moving. So much for wishing that one child might be quiet and laid back. Dr Pishney (his chiro) asked last time I took him if he was "always like this." Uh- yeah...both my kids are- is that strange? Apparently so. This six month shoot was just as difficult as M's NINE month shoot where I couldn't keep her away from the sign. I finally gave up. I guess it's time for me to admit that he IS in fact more active than she was, though how that is possible I'm not sure. He proves to be just as full of expression as his sister.Man, I love this boy.Tired mama, tired...On a side note, I have been buying fall clothes lately, but hadn't taken any of them out of their bags. Switching seasons is a daunting task when it comes to kids and their clothing. Well, today I took everything out, cut the tags and put it in the washer. The kids helped "pick up" the hangers. M had her first day of gymnastics today which she loved, but was a little too good for that class I think. She kinda ran circles around the other kids who where crying and wouldn't do the stuff. I may end up putting her in an older class. Oh well.

Growing up...

My baby is growing up so so fast. I was marveling at how she's going to be TWO in a couple of months. Crazy. Today we picked up this bed from a lady who posted it on Craig's List. It's so cute. Neither B or I were very excited about actually putting her in it since she's been climbing out of the crib. I was just going to pick it up and then wait a few more weeks/months, but we decided to just go for it. If it's awful we'll get through it. Since we've been home we have talked several times about how we don't get out of our bed and if we need something we just have to call for Mommy. We did leave the crib up in case there was an emergency. However, since I laid her down she hasn't moved. She's just laying in there listening to her aquarium. It's almost making me sad how good she's being. She's so big.

Good-bye old friend. Such a cute little bed. I just felt like she's too little to put in a full size bed that's so high. I have really been stressing about what to do. I was so relieved when this one showed up on Craig's List yesterday! I put her aquarium at the foot of the bed for comfort. She's always loved to listen to it. Too bad it won't fit on the side!Playing in her new bed.

We Sit!

So G can sit now- it's pretty cute. I did not teach him how at all...he has figured out all his movements by himself. He's actually a little more active than M was at this age I think (she NEVER sat and played), but he doesn't talk nearly as much. Pretty typical of boys vs girls I think. He's noisy, and he makes lots of sounds, but never any consonants. M at this age was saying ma ma ma and da da da among other things.

He's always after whatever she has, just like she is to him...Such a nice expression.G sporting the baby legs- remember these?? His legs were all chapped from his crawling and scooting so I put some aquaphor on them and covered them up for the night. So cute!!