Graham Month Eleven

My sweet Graham, you're 11 months old.  Just one month shy of your one year birthday and what a year it has been.  Time has flown by.  We've loved watching you grow and learn over the past 11 months but I wish it would slow.  You change so quickly that we don't get to enjoy the beautiful moments in between.

Stats:  My guess is you weigh about 24lbs, you're still short and your head is still big.  You're in 12 month clothes and just got fitted for your first pair of shoes.  You're a size 4w.

Sleep Schedule:  Sleep is still consistent with bedtime routine.  You're down by 8 and up at 6:30.  I'd love to push that 6:30 wake up call back by an hour but I'm happy you're sleeping through the night still.  The process to put you down for the night or a nap is still a challenge.  You've actually developed a trick.  When I walk you into your room to put you down for the night, you quiver your lip and begin to cry.  We rock for a few minutes but you seem very tired and are always trying to get off my lap.  You don't like to go to sleep at all.  Naps are still short and I believe we'll begin the process to transition down to one a days.  Hoping this helps both nap time and nighttime.

Food:  You love it all. You really like meat which is something your sister still doesn't enjoy.  Fruit is a big favorite as is pasta and Mexican food.  You are now trying to feed yourself though it's a challenge.  Water is becoming a big favorite of yours as well.  You can't get enough water though you're still learning to drink slowly.

Firsts:  You are walking running at this point.  You began taking your first couple steps around 10.5 months and by 11 months you were taking multiple steps and are now trying to run.  It's fun to watch you "run" because your head leads the charge but not long before you topple over.  You're getting good at picking yourself up each time you fall.  You went on your first overnight trip with us up to Middle Bass Island and had your first real camping experience.

Favorites:  There's one thing you love more than everything else.  Your sister Addie.  Probably even more so than me and you really love me.  You love to walk over to her and lay your head on her head.  You actually like to lay directly on her and pin her down.  The wrestling begins...  You love Chloe as well and have spent some time laying with her as well.

We're weeks away from your first birthday and it's all very bittersweet.  I cannot wait for your big day but I try to cherish each moment with you as you grow.

-mama

2014 Myrtle Beach Vacation

Vacation?  What vacation?  Well, my friends we went on a vacation the first week of June but I never posted about it.  Not shocking since my posting has drastically dropped off recently. This whole full time working mom of two thing is exhausting.  You'd think after 2 months of being back from vacation that I'd have edited all the photos I took, but no.  So prepare yourself for loads of beach pictures.

Addie is my beach baby.  She couldn't wait and asked if we were at the beach about 50 times during the car ride down.

Graham, on the other hand, hated it.

Addie wasn't happy that I asked her to sit next to Graham.  Too much time wasted that she could have been jumping over waves.

We took a break from the ocean for one day and did some walking around shops. Addie was prime age for "I want, I want" so every corner we turned we knew we had another battle to fight.  This was one of those battles.

Each year I try to capture a couple beach photos for memories sake.  Two is much harder to photograph than one.

Addie won't let me pull her hair back.  Instead she insists on holding it to one side.

I love this picture because Graham has had enough.

A family of about 15 was walking up to take some family photos and one lady offered to take our picture while the rest of the family stood behind her and jumped up and down trying to get Addie and Graham to look at the camera.  They caught their attention.  Addie looks confused and Graham terrified while Rick and I smile patiently.

Vacation was fantastic and I cannot wait until next year when Graham is up and walking around, not eating sand and I can relax a little more.

-stephanie

The Beginning of the End

As I sit writing this post, I'm pumping my very last pump session.  I'm beginning to wean Graham from nursing so I'll be ready for vacation in early September.  Rick and I are headed out for our first solo trip in nearly 4 years.  Because we're traveling across the US, I didn't want to deal with the pump and the milk and stopping our vacation to pump 4 times a day.

Graham is over a month away from his first birthday so I felt confident in transitioning now.  Of course I battled with this decision.  I nursed Addie for 13 months but have only nursed Graham for 11.  There are days when I'm so excited the end is in sight and then there are days when I think, 'I'm going to miss this'.  I'm a big advocate for breastfeeding so there is a part of me that feels selfish and that I could keep up with the pumping while on vacation.  At the same time I know that I've done a lot for him so far.  He's a beefy boy and is clearly getting enough nutrition.

Here was my schedule pre shut down:

6am        Nurse
9am        Pump
12pm      Pump
3pm        Pump
7:30pm   Nurse

So I begin to transition from nursing/pumping and had to create a schedule:

6am        Nurse
11am      Pump
3pm        Pump
7:30pm   Nurse

I did this for 2 weeks, then moved on to the following schedule:

6am        Nurse
12pm      Pump
7:30pm   Nurse

I did this for 2 weeks, then moved on to the following schedule:

6am        Nurse
7:30pm   Nurse

And that's where I am today.  I'm one day away from transitioning one of those sessions out and replacing with a sippy cup of formula.  I'm having a hard time battling with which to hang on to.  On one hand, I'd like to keep the night nursing because I love nursing him into a slumber, but it's also nice not making a bottle when he wakes up at 6:30.  Either way, I'm about to begin my last week of nursing.  Probably forever and this may be a difficult week for me.

I want to take the couple nursing sessions Graham and I have together as a peaceful time for us to connect and enjoy these last few moments we'll have together.  Soon enough we'll be celebrating his one year birthday and I still remember those first few moments with him resting on my chest snoring his little heart out.

-stephanie

Product Review: My First Book Series

Books are big in our house.  Addie has an entire bookcase full of them and she does not share well when it comes to her books.  If there was one thing she had to pick out of all of her toys, she'd likely choose her books.  I think this comes from me being a big reader when I was younger.  I could sit and read an entire book in one day, when I was 10.  It's what brought me a lot of joy, the imagination I got to experience with each book I read.  So books are important to me and to my kids.

So when Sophie Helenek reached out to me to see if I had interest in having Graham review her books I was all over it.  The My First Book series is fantastic for babies because each page includes some great contrasting images.  Those black and white pages for younger babies who see only in black and white.  There are also pages full of color and along with each image is a word the parent can say aloud to help baby to recognize the images by your voice.

The books are great!  Graham loves the eye catching pictures.  There are really so many great features to the books that a parent may overlook.  The black and white pages, the eye catching color pages, the line that borders each page to help draw babies attention back to the subject and each letter of the word is in a different color. 

They're the perfect size for babies little hands and are a sturdy board book for that teething stage that Graham is currently in.  Even at nearly 4, Addie is also digging the books but she is my bookworm!

Check out Sophie's page on Amazon where you can purchase these books.  They make a great baby shower gift to start out new babies book collection.  You can also keep up with the My First Book series via Twitter.

-stephanie

Ice Cream for Babies

Say wait?  Ice cream for babies?  Big no, no mama.  Or is it?  Not this kind, it's super healthy and is a-okay for everyone in the family!  Unless you have a peanut allergy, then I'd suggest avoiding.  We went to a local ice cream shop a couple weeks ago and if you follow me on Instagram, you saw this pic.

I feel bad when we have treats but Graham can't have them.  I feel like before one is a no go for ice cream and avoid it as much as possible even after one.  So here's a simple treat for your littles that's yummy and easy to make.

Ingredients

3 super ripe bananas, sliced and frozen

1 tablespoon of peanut butter

Blend in a blender.

That's it. Best thing ever and I like to make enough and put in one of those containers and freeze so I can grab one quick for Graham when we're headed to the ice cream shop.

-stephanie

Open Face Meatball Sandwich

These days, I rush out of work to pick up the kids and then I'm thinking, what's for dinner.  I need something fast and easy so I'm always looking for recipes to keep it simple.  This is the recipe and it's so good.  I love a good meatball sub.

Ingredients

Texas Toast

Pasta Sauce, warmed

Meatballs, cooked through

Mozzarella Cheese

Seasonings - oregano, italian, garlic, etc

Set your oven to the temperature on the garlic toast instructions.  Place them in a baking dish and toast slightly while prepping the rest of the food.  Load up the toast with meatballs, pasta sauce, seasonings & top with mozzarella.  Cook in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.  Set broiler to toast the tops slightly.

done.

-stephanie