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!!

Talk already!

Since I have not blogged in so long I am not going to try walking you through the last 6 months but I am just going to start with the present and fill in as needed. Ari is running and climbing now and I don't have enough hands or energy to keep up with her at times. She is also teething and has like 6 teeth coming in at the same time! I have been struggling with my mommy guilt lately for many reasons but mainly because Ari isn't really talking yet.  Actually she isn't talking at all! I feel like such a failure. What am I doing wrong? What am I not doing? I talk to her A LOT, we read, she points, I sing, she yells and babbles, I ask questions, she grunts and points...etc. I know that one mistake I was making was giving her what she needed/wanted without her asking only because I knew sometimes before she did what she wanted/needed. Now I offer options and repeat them a thousand times trying to get her to verbalize her choice. Well, that pretty much ends in a whining, face grabbing tantrum (by both of us) so I just cave and give her what I know she wants. Am I supposed to let her starve because she won't choose what she wants to eat or thirst because she won't choose water or milk!!??

Anywho, Ari is up from her nap so off I go!!

Day of REST?

Well, finals are finally over and today is my first day OFF. Ari is clean and fed, I have had my own breakfast and now my winter break can begin! First I am going to catch up on my blogging, then do a little cleaning and a load of laundry. After that I will do some stretches/playing with Ari before I change her and then its nap time for her. While she naps I will do a quick run on the treadmill and take a shower. Then when she gets up I will change and feed her. Then we will load up the car and head out to do some Christmas shopping. While shopping I will entertain Ari with biter biscuits, puffs and milk. Then we will head over to the grocery store to grab a few items. Again I will entertain Ari there with biscuits, puffs and milk. Next we'll swing through CVS to grab a Rx and then head home where I will unload Ari and the groceries, occupy Ari with toys while I put the groceries away, PEE, then hopefully put Ari down for another nap after I change her. While she sleeps I will pull out the Christmas tree and decorations and haul them upstairs from the garage where I will start putting the tree together. When Ari wakes up I will stop what I'm doing and play on the floor with her for a bit before starting dinner. Then I will change, feed and clean Ari and finish getting dinner for mommy and daddy ready. Then when daddy gets home we will eat dinner then give Ari a bath. After bath time I will get her dressed for bed and hand her off to daddy for the bed time bottle. Finally, I will head back to the Christmas tree to finish putting it together, then clean up dinner and other dishes from the day then sit down and think about ways I will REST again tomorrow. Time to begin!! I LOVE time off : )

Baby Milestones Worries

So, I read the following article and LOVED it. It made me feel so normal : ) What is normal anyways?? When it comes to our children, normal becomes very important and is on your mind everyday. Everytime that Ari does or does not do something I wonder if she is "normal". Silly I know but it is amazing how the pressure to be ahead of the game starts as soon as your child is born. From the first time that your child's height, weight and head size are charted, the race begins. It is especially apparent if you have friends or family with kids the same age or close to the same age. Why do we do this to ourselves? For myself I feel like it is out of fear of not being a good parent. If my child is not meeting the chart's numbers or the books milestones, then its my fault and I suck as a mother. Deep down I know that I am doing my best, but it does have an effect.

My daughter is 9 months old and just started crawling a week or so ago. It was a big deal in this house. My husband and I were ecstatic. Now though we seem to be focusing on what's next. She hasn't said ma ma or da da, no teeth, no "hi" or "bye", no clapping, no "arms up!"....but I'm not concerned. Even though friends of mine have kids that are close in age and have been doing these for months now. That's ok. Ari is fine. I'm not worried at all. Yes, I sit in front of her while she is in the bathtub and say "ma ma, ma ma, ma ma, ma ma, ma ma, da da, da da, da da, da da" then "sigh, that's ok baby, high five!" and I get a hand in the air : ) That is her "trick" that we are OH SO proud of. When you say "high five" Ari puts her little hand in the air and touches your hand. PRECIOUS! Personally I think this one trick is the most difficult and most advanced. I make it a point to show EVERYONE. Their kids can't do it, but mine can. HA!!

Check out this article for more fun:

The Truth About Baby Milestones

http://www.parenting.com/article/Baby/Development/The-Truth-About-Baby-Milestones/1