Toddler Eating Habits

So my daughter has decided, and so far she has been correct, that she can survive on the following:

goldfish
bread
veggie pasta
tomatoes
string cheese
strawberries
bananas
grapes
milk
water
a multivitamin

That's about it...that's what she eats on a daily basis along with random bites of maybe a cookie or ice cream or some sort of sweet. Other than that she does not experiment. Everything I cook she spits out of her mouth. Most times she doesn't even try it before she turns it down. The simple fact that it does not look like a goldfish or a string cheese or a piece of bread means NO THANK YOU! I am at my wits end. I do not know what I am supposed to do to please her pallet so that she gets a full range of foods. I feel like a failure of a mother because I cannot get my child to eat normal food. When she was an infant she ate everything; it did not matter what you put in front of her she ate all of it and wanted more. Ever since she started eating solid foods she has limited her options to the list I gave above. I don't know at this point what I'm supposed to do. I am just so extremely frustrated and sad about this issue. Hopefully I'm not alone and someone will pass along some advice my way. I have tried hiding veggies in the pasts and that kind of works, but then she gets tired of it or something and wont eat it anymore. I think I need a recipe for meat and veggie bread. Bread is the only thing I know she will eat no matter what it looks like...she knows its bread : )

Ugh!!

Long time no blog

I have been completely MIA from the blogging world this holiday week. I am back on track now and ready to catch up on all that I have missed. Ari experienced her first Thanksgiving this last week and all went well. I was nervous about all of the family being a bit too much for her and napping in a strange place with all of the cousins running around, but she handled herself like a sweet little angel. I was so proud of her when I put her down for her nap. Out of the thousand items that we brought to keep her happy and entertained we forgot her crib music thingie. This thing is her best friend in the crib. I was terrified that we would end our Thanksgiving festivities early with a cranky baby but she went down all on her own. I was a proud mama! We had a great day and I'm so glad that she was such a good girl. I feel silly now for stressing about her and what would happen on Thanksgiving. I am always nervous when taking her into a new situation. I think about all of the possible things that could go wrong, all of things that could upset her, all of the things that I could forget to bring...etc. In the end though it always works out and even when something goes "wrong" it's never THAT bad. I love my little girl and I just want her to be happy all the time and that's my real issue. Is that weird? Am I crazy? I don't verbalize these anxieties as I think I am a little nutty but maybe I can find others like me through my blog : ) Hope everyone had a great holiday week too!

The Breastfeeding Kit

Breastfeeding your child can be one of the most beautiful experiences imaginable, but it can also be horrifically painful. I knew going into my breastfeeding adventure 9 months ago that there would be a learning curve on my part and my daughter's, but I was still ill-prepared. Eventually we both figured out what we were doing, what worked for us and we survived! I am soooo glad that I stuck with it and that I was able to bond with Ari the way that I did. I have tried to share with all of my girlfriends any tips and/or tricks that I learned along the way. I then decided that I would post a blog on my experience and include a list of items that helped me. You can find most of these items at babies r us, Target and many other stores. I am simply listing the ones I found at target to give you an idea. I am not endorsing any one brand. Shop around and find what looks right for you. The links on here are just to put a picture with a description and idea on price.

1. Medela Disposable Nursing Bra Pads: These are simply pads that you stick inside of your bra or nursing top to prevent leakage onto your clothes. I only used these when i was going out of the house.

2. Medela Tender Care Lanolin: A sample of this was given to me at the hospital so I did not actually buy any. It was helpful and soothing. I later purchased this balm that I loved. Ari's face would be all shiny after nursing but I caked this stuff on. It really helped with any sort of chaffing and dryness just like chapstick for your lips but it looks like a glue stick : )

3. Medela Soft Shells for Sore Nipples: These were a nipple saver!! I was given different soothing gel pads but all they did was press my nipples back down and then Ari would have to pull them back out again. This was a painful process. By wearing these cups 24/7 my nipples could stay erect and I didn't have to worry about my clothes rubbing on them. They are just rounded shells that put a guard between your nipple and your clothes. They also collect any leaking milk. The one thing you have to be careful about is that you regularly empty the milk that leaks out during the day (I used a dropper) and then I would put the little sponges in there or strips of toilet paper wadded up in there at night. If not, you lean over a little and dump milk all over yourself (been there done that).

4. Medela Standard Contact Nipple Shield: I was given one of these in the hospital so I never purchased one. It was great! It is basically a nipple that you put over your nipple : ) So, when the baby is pulling and pulling you are not taking the brunt of the suction. This is not recommended for long term or frequent use as you and the baby need to become accustomed to the "natural" way but this was great when one nipple would be really sore but I didn't want Ari to skip feeding on that side, I would use this to give that breast a break.

5. Nursing Tank top: I lived in nursing tank tops while I was breastfeeding. There was no reason to NOT have one on. You are on call at all hours and it makes life so much simpler to be able to just whip one out at a time when necessary. Now this is not the exact top that I wore. I had a couple of different styles and colors as I was LIVING in them like I said so I needed a variety. The ones that just have a cut out when you pull the flap down were not as convenient to me as I felt like I was sliding the hole around to get it in the right spot. The ones that just expose you as soon as you pull down the flap are the best (in my opinion). They are easy access and easy one handed clean up.

Of course you will also likely want a breast pump, Boppy and an Udder Cover or some things like these but the above items are not always so obvious. If you have a girlfriend that is having a baby and plans on breastfeeding; the above is a nice starter kit. Like I said before. Breastfeeding was great and I am glad I did it but I will never forget the lessons that I learned and the issues I hope to avoid with baby number 2 (whenever that happens).

Good Luck!!

My baby is crawling!

Ok, so I know that doesn't sound like a huge accomplishment or anything but it is to my little family. Ari has been struggling with tummy time in general since we first tried putting her on her tummy around month one. Ari has really bad reflux and torticollis. We have been going to physical therapy once a week/once every two weeks since she was two months old. Well, she is now 9 months old and CRAWLING! I actually cried the first time she made it 2 "steps" across the floor. It was like the part of me that never thought she would ever do it became completely overwhelmed with pride and excitement at the site. Through all of the tears, spit up, fits and "you can do it" cheers, she finally got moving. The craziest thing is that she didn't seem all that excited at her accomplishment. I was tear-soaked and cheering YAY! while she just sat up and chewed on her hand like nothing had just happened. I do notice those evil torticollis signs whenever she gets tired but I am hoping that as we continue our strength training exercises, those will eventually fade away. I am just so grateful that I was a witness to such a tiny/enormous miracle. My baby is mobile!!!