I have to admit that this was much for fun than mommy shoving mashed avocados in Nicolette's mouth and as you can see from the pictures below she liked this a lot better too! :) It was so much fun to watch her figure it out!
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Avocados: Take Two
So today I decided to try our Avocado Baby Led Weaning style. For those not familiar...Baby Led Weaning is where you let your child feed themselves right from the get-go...no purees, no mashing, no blenders, food processors or fancy baby food makers necessary. You make sure that food is a suitable size and watch them have fun with it. (You can read more about Baby Led Weaning HERE).
I have to admit that this was much for fun than mommy shoving mashed avocados in Nicolette's mouth and as you can see from the pictures below she liked this a lot better too! :) It was so much fun to watch her figure it out!
I have to admit that this was much for fun than mommy shoving mashed avocados in Nicolette's mouth and as you can see from the pictures below she liked this a lot better too! :) It was so much fun to watch her figure it out!
Monday, January 7, 2013
"That girl"...
Today I was "that girl"... the girl I hated (okay so hate is a strong word)...the one who happily strutted into the waiting room at REACH with her adorable little baby in the stroller. "Why is she here? She already has a baby...isn't one enough?"
Yup, Nicolette and I took a little visit to the REACH office so that I could introduce this sweet thing to the man who helped make her a possibility! She got to meet the one and only Dr. Katz! It was really precious to see him with her...he said that she looks like a beautiful little porcelain doll (we hear that a lot...and I happen to agree). I, of course, made him hold her so that I could take pictures and he was so sweet with her...he rocked her a little bit and said, "I could just keep you!" He then assured me that he wouldn't :) He held in front of the fish tank in his office and showed her the fishies swimming around which thoroughly captivated her.
(She was mid-nap when we got there so no smiles from Nicolette during our visit but she didn't cry or fuss a bit...just quietly sat, taking it all in).
Now while I was happy to be "that girl"....I was also incredibly mindful (and almost felt guilty) when I looked at the faces in the waiting room, the woman getting on and off the elevator...the couple waiting in the nurse's office where you talk about finances, the woman waiting behind me to check out. I remember being that face, that person, sitting there, looking at the woman with the baby wondering if this day would ever come for me....
Thank you Jesus for blessing Dr. Katz with this talent and skill. What a gift and blessing to be able to help so many people achieve their dream of having a family!
Yup, Nicolette and I took a little visit to the REACH office so that I could introduce this sweet thing to the man who helped make her a possibility! She got to meet the one and only Dr. Katz! It was really precious to see him with her...he said that she looks like a beautiful little porcelain doll (we hear that a lot...and I happen to agree). I, of course, made him hold her so that I could take pictures and he was so sweet with her...he rocked her a little bit and said, "I could just keep you!" He then assured me that he wouldn't :) He held in front of the fish tank in his office and showed her the fishies swimming around which thoroughly captivated her.
(She was mid-nap when we got there so no smiles from Nicolette during our visit but she didn't cry or fuss a bit...just quietly sat, taking it all in).
Now while I was happy to be "that girl"....I was also incredibly mindful (and almost felt guilty) when I looked at the faces in the waiting room, the woman getting on and off the elevator...the couple waiting in the nurse's office where you talk about finances, the woman waiting behind me to check out. I remember being that face, that person, sitting there, looking at the woman with the baby wondering if this day would ever come for me....
Thank you Jesus for blessing Dr. Katz with this talent and skill. What a gift and blessing to be able to help so many people achieve their dream of having a family!
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Project Avocado
Today was THE day! We finally started little Nicolette on solids...Avocado to be more precise (if you can really call that a "solid"). Mommy and Nicolette went on a search for the perfect ripe, organic avocado yesterday (which is more difficult than I thought...most avocados in the store are either mush or super firm). Today after church we decided to give it a whirl. I was told to breastfeed her first and then try the "solids" and to pick a time where she's in a relatively good mood...so that's what we did...
I went basic with the recipe. Just mashed up some Avocados with breastmilk but this website has some interesting recipes to try...maybe we'll give some a whirl this week!
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| Ready for avocados! |
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| Maybe not... |
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| Let me try this again... |
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| I need to think about it a little |
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| mmmmmm.... |
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| I don't think I like it... |
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| Maybe it's not so bad. |
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| How did I get avocados in my nose? |
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| They're not too bad...not great, but not bad... |
I went basic with the recipe. Just mashed up some Avocados with breastmilk but this website has some interesting recipes to try...maybe we'll give some a whirl this week!
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Happy 6 Month Birthversary Baby!
Today is Nicolette's 6 Month Birthversary! At 9:20pm, 6 months ago this beautiful little being escaped from my body :)
I am finding that taking pictures of her is getting more and more difficult...Nicolette is almost NEVER still. You can see from our photo shoot with Ellie the Elephant that she was kind of all over the place. Nicolette wants to see and touch EVERYTHING! It's fun to watch her discover "new" things, but the child is doing so at the expense of her naps. Today she took 3 naps, 1 was close to 45 minutes, 1 was a ere 10-15 minutes and the last was 30 minutes. Most 6 month olds nap 2-4 hours a day (so I hear)...Nic looks exhausted...keeps rubbing her eyes and is so tired that she can barely sit up on her own but she will NOT stop looking at everything...is this normal??? Someone please tell me that it is a (short) phase...She went down for what I thought was the night at 7:40 pm but now at 8:20 she's up looking around everywhere with her super drowsy eyes...she just won't stop. She's hasn't been crying or fussy today. Just a little more cuddly than usual and when she's not playing she looks so, so, so, so sleepy. try to rock her and cuddle and she whines to sit up and look around...what's a mama to do????
We were supposed to try avocado tonight for her first go at "solids" but she looked so tired that I didn't want to go for it just yet. I thought it would be best to wait until she's alert and happy to try something new.
Anyway here are some highlights of our Birthversary Photo Shoot!
You'll want to note that this all happened in a matter of less than 5 minutes...she really is nonstop!
I am finding that taking pictures of her is getting more and more difficult...Nicolette is almost NEVER still. You can see from our photo shoot with Ellie the Elephant that she was kind of all over the place. Nicolette wants to see and touch EVERYTHING! It's fun to watch her discover "new" things, but the child is doing so at the expense of her naps. Today she took 3 naps, 1 was close to 45 minutes, 1 was a ere 10-15 minutes and the last was 30 minutes. Most 6 month olds nap 2-4 hours a day (so I hear)...Nic looks exhausted...keeps rubbing her eyes and is so tired that she can barely sit up on her own but she will NOT stop looking at everything...is this normal??? Someone please tell me that it is a (short) phase...She went down for what I thought was the night at 7:40 pm but now at 8:20 she's up looking around everywhere with her super drowsy eyes...she just won't stop. She's hasn't been crying or fussy today. Just a little more cuddly than usual and when she's not playing she looks so, so, so, so sleepy. try to rock her and cuddle and she whines to sit up and look around...what's a mama to do????
We were supposed to try avocado tonight for her first go at "solids" but she looked so tired that I didn't want to go for it just yet. I thought it would be best to wait until she's alert and happy to try something new.
Anyway here are some highlights of our Birthversary Photo Shoot!
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| "Hey! What's on my shirt???" |
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| "I wonder if I can eat it..." |
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| "Hey! It comes off!! |
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| "I CAN eat it..." |
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| Rubbing my eyes - "Photo shoots are exhausting." |
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| Chewing on my thumb |
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| Chewing on my toes... |
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| Chewing on my fist... |
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| Rubbing my eyes...I'm getting sleepy |
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| Tossing Ellie around... |
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| "Don't I know you from somewhere?" |
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| Happy girl! |
Splish, Splash!
We haven't been good about taking pictures of our bathing beauty...mostly because she really was not a fan of baths. Even after she got through the hospital scrubdown and then her first gentle sponge bath at home...she never seemed to get excited about being in the tub. As soon as we'd lay her in her little infant sling she'd lay back and squeeze her little arms up by her head and look at me with a look of sheer terror on her face. She didn't cry or scream, just looked terrified...so pitiful.
Then about a month ago (way past the point when she had surpassed the infant sling weight limit) we started bathing her in the infant tub without it. She had been sitting on her own perfectly fine, but once her little booty hit the water her little arms went right up by her head and her little face turned up towards us with that same look of terror. Now the arms up by the head and head turning made it impossible for her to balance so bathing was 100% a 2 man job. Daddy holds and mommy washes (AS FAST AS POSSIBLE so that we can get her out in a flash). We had tried splashing, toys, playing and it just seemed to scare her even more so this was our perfect little routine. Mommy and daddy could get little Nicolette spic and span in less than 2 minutes!
A couple of weeks ago daddy discovered that she was actually better if she was standing (I think I've mentioned a million times that our child has been trying to stand basically from birth...not exaggerating). So the Italian holds Nicolette standing and mommy splashes and rubs her down and then basically showers her off. What 5 month old takes showers? Mine apparently.
Well something MAGICAL happened this week. The Italian and I got N's bath all ready and he put her in her normal position, but she didn't put her hands up by her head like she normally does...she actually started to bend her knees to sit down. So the Italian carefully helped her sit down and it looked like her hands were going to go up by her head but instead her right hand reached out and very gently "tapped" on the water!!! Next thing we knew she grabbed the little rubber ducky and holding on to it for dear life sat up in the bath on her own! We've got a long ways to go before we have a water-all-over-the-floor-fun bath time but we're making progress.
Can't wait to see what bath time brings tonight! We'll need it I'm sure! Nicolette starts "solids" today (her 6 month birthday)!!!! She'll be dining on mashed avocado with a nice 2012 Randazzo breastmilk :)
Tootles!
Then about a month ago (way past the point when she had surpassed the infant sling weight limit) we started bathing her in the infant tub without it. She had been sitting on her own perfectly fine, but once her little booty hit the water her little arms went right up by her head and her little face turned up towards us with that same look of terror. Now the arms up by the head and head turning made it impossible for her to balance so bathing was 100% a 2 man job. Daddy holds and mommy washes (AS FAST AS POSSIBLE so that we can get her out in a flash). We had tried splashing, toys, playing and it just seemed to scare her even more so this was our perfect little routine. Mommy and daddy could get little Nicolette spic and span in less than 2 minutes!
A couple of weeks ago daddy discovered that she was actually better if she was standing (I think I've mentioned a million times that our child has been trying to stand basically from birth...not exaggerating). So the Italian holds Nicolette standing and mommy splashes and rubs her down and then basically showers her off. What 5 month old takes showers? Mine apparently.
Well something MAGICAL happened this week. The Italian and I got N's bath all ready and he put her in her normal position, but she didn't put her hands up by her head like she normally does...she actually started to bend her knees to sit down. So the Italian carefully helped her sit down and it looked like her hands were going to go up by her head but instead her right hand reached out and very gently "tapped" on the water!!! Next thing we knew she grabbed the little rubber ducky and holding on to it for dear life sat up in the bath on her own! We've got a long ways to go before we have a water-all-over-the-floor-fun bath time but we're making progress.
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| The hospital required scrub down about 6 hrs after she was born) |
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| First spongebath at home...looks fun right?) |
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| Normally a showering position, but... |
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| Sitting down for a change... |
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| "Dear God, Please make sure that I do not drop this ducky" |
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| Squeezing the life out of the ducky, but still sitting on her own |
Can't wait to see what bath time brings tonight! We'll need it I'm sure! Nicolette starts "solids" today (her 6 month birthday)!!!! She'll be dining on mashed avocado with a nice 2012 Randazzo breastmilk :)
Tootles!
Friday, January 4, 2013
Play date with Jameson
Nicolette and I LOVE our play dates and we were sooo happy to be able to spend a little quality time with her buddy Jameson and his mommy lil e! lil e and I used to work together and she was actually supposed to handle most of my job responsibilities once I went out on maternity leave. She and her husband had been in the process of trying to adopt a baby but up until the very end of my pregnancy she felt pretty sure that they wouldn't get "the call" until much later. Wouldn't you know that they got that blessed call just 2 short weeks after I delivered Nicolette???? Beautiful Baby J was ready to join their family!
It's fun to have little ones so close in age and they haven't seen each other since they were about a month old (and they both slept through that play date anyway)...I just wish we were able to carve out more time to play together!
It's fun to have little ones so close in age and they haven't seen each other since they were about a month old (and they both slept through that play date anyway)...I just wish we were able to carve out more time to play together!
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| Isn't he a handsome little fella??? |
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| They lock eyes...for a moment... |
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| ...and Nicolette is back to playing |
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| She makes the first move...she's an aggressive one. (mommy and daddy are going to have to keep an eye on that) |
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| Wait! What's that on his head??? |
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| "Don't give up on tummy time yet, Jameson." says Nicolette |
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| Maybe I'll have some hair someday soon too! |
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