Toddling

October's almost over you say?!

My little one is going to be a butterfly for her first Halloween. I found the costume at The Children's Place way back in August. I figured I should grab it while I can because all the good costumes will be picked over by October. Last year at this time the thought of painting my belly like a pumpkin crossed my mind now I'm going to be dressing that little pumpkin up in a costume. Crazy to think about.

Little L has taken her first steps a few weeks ago. She toddles all over by herself having fun. She amazes me every day with something new. She tries to say words but most of the time it just comes out as 'baby talk'. :) But still cute nonetheless. Yesterday she looked right at her Daddy and said 'dada'. I'm pretty sure that made his day. She has yet to look at me and say 'mama' except when she's crying and needs something. :) I know she'll say it soon enough to me and mean it like she knows who I am.

Here's something funny I came across in a newsletter I get from The Baby Center.

Your baby can learn sign language!

Here's how to say:

• "Please change my diaper": Turn beet red and make straining expression, then smile.
• "I'd like something to eat, please": Cram fist in mouth and suck wildly.
• "I'm tired": Make a series of weeping gestures before closing eyes and lolling head backward.
• "Please pass me that thing up there that I can't reach": Point and grunt, then continue pointing and open mouth into screaming position.
• "No thank you. I think I've had enough": Throw food or object to floor with exaggerated grin.

HAHA! :)

ZZzzzzz....

My baby is unlike other babies when it comes time to go to sleep. You see, she doesn't go to sleep until after 9:30,10. When I hear about other babies the same age going to sleep at 7, I think 'what?!, are you serious?' Well for one, going to sleep at 7 wouldn't work out too well because then she would hardly ever see her Daddy because he doesn't come home til that time. But we'd be happy with an 8:30/9:00 bedtime. She thinks otherwise. The funny thing is that she's been this way since she was a couple months old. Lately, she's been getting up at 3 or 4 in the morning...just wide awake. You would think since she goes to bed late that she would sleep late. No, not this baby. Maybe she'll eventually learn to fall asleep earlier but until then...

Shh...baby sleeping

Wow...baby sleeping for almost 2 hours. She doesn't usually take more than a 15/20 minute nap. I guess it's all that speed crawling she's been doing lately. She must have crawled and I mean crawled..really really fast..into the kitchen about 10 times or more. It was a fun game of see how long it takes mommy to tire out. Well mommy has been tired out a long time ago, long before the game of fetch the baby. I think I could use a 2 hour power nap myself. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Mommy is a Slacker

I titled this post appropriately. :) I started this blog telling myself that I would keep it updated. If not everyday than at least every week. Well what do you know that didn't quite go as planned. It's been a while.

Little L is quickly approaching 9 months. She's standing on her own but has yet to take those first steps and when she does, watch out! She's already a handful, haha. She speeds crawls from one end of the room to the other when she wants to get something. The IPhone has become increasingly appealing to her and she loves to try and scroll things across the screen. I'm not sure if an 8 month old should be figuring out how to use the phone. :)

We went to the zoo the other weekend and she seemed to enjoy herself. Although she was watching the people a little more than the actual animals. She even got a little penguin shirt that she has worn already and of course looks adorable on her. She's fitting into 12 month shirts already. They are a tad bit big on her but you can tell that she's growing. Her next dr.'s appointment is in a couple weeks. This time no shots! YAY! That will make baby AND Mommy very happy!

I'm starting to think about Little L's first birthday. I want it to be special and fun but how much is a one year old really going to remember? hah I got a magazine in the mail yesterday for first birthday decorations. There are so many cute ones but it can get to be expensive so we'll see what we decide to go with. I also have seen some extremely cute Halloween costumes. I have to get her one. I'm thinking ladybug. My husband thinks flower. Little L is probably thinking 'what is wrong with these people..and they're my parents, for real?' LOL

8 months!

Wow! That's about all I can say. I can't believe my little baby (who isn't so little anymore) is 8 months old. I think I say that every month as she continues to quickly approach that one year milestone. Little L is crawling up a storm and has now figured out how to pull herself up to standing. The only problem is getting back down which she hasn't figured out yet. The fireplace is now slightly cushioned and we've been working on picking up stuff around here that she could possibly get into. When did my baby get so mobile? It seems like it happened over night.

She's also been practicing picking up food with her fingers and eating it. She only has her two bottom teeth so far so she's only been munching on some Gerber puffs. She loves them and they keep her entertained when we go out to eat. It's funny when you put some down for her and she grabs them in one fail swoop and tries to put all of them in her mouth.

I made Little L some butternut squash the other day. She loved it. She has been expanding her culinary tastes with new foods all the time. I think she eats better than we do. :)

We have a crawler!

It's been a while since I posted on here. Last week Little L had a fever for a couple days. Then I got mastitis and was sick. I'm almost finished up with my antibiotics. Funny thing is that I never had it before and I read that it usually happens in the first few weeks of breastfeeding. I so don't want to get that again. Not fun my friends.

On to the topic of this post: crawling. Little L has been scooting and pushing herself along now for a while. This morning while we were sitting on the floor she figured out how to move her arms with her legs. Now we are in trouble. Why is it that babies go right for the things they aren't supposed to like plugs and cords? I mean seriously how exciting can those be? She's still not a 100% crawler but so incredibly close. We need to do some serious baby proofing.

Since the last time I made baby food, I have cooked up some yams and broccoli. Didn't turn out as good as I hoped but maybe with a little cheese and milk it will taste good. There's also some butternut and acorn squash I need to bake. Other than that Little L eats a mix of homemade and store bought foods.

Oh and if you hadn't seen it already, there are a ton of cute baby clothes on clearance at Old Navy.com. I'm so tempted. :)

Baby food

Just finished making Little L some carrots. Yesterday I attempted apples and surprisingly it was pretty easy. I used 4 Royal Gala organic apples, peeled, chopped and cored them. Then added 4 tablespoons of water and simmered in a pot for about 7-10 minutes. Once they were tender I stuck them in a blender/food processor and puréed them up. I also added in a little cinnamon to half the batch. I ended up with a full ice cube tray.
For the carrots, I peeled and chopped six organic carrots. Then added them in a steamer basket into a pot with a little boiling water (just to where it would almost touch the basket). Then cover and steam for 15-20 minutes. Purée in the food processor. I found that I had a little too many carrots and they didn't all get pureed so I needed to go through and smash with a fork. I would have stuck them back in the food processor but Little L hates the sound of it and was crying up a storm. Anyway, I also got a full tray of carrots.

I'd say if you have the time and a baby that doesn't mind the sound it's great. I love the fact that I can make healthy organic food for my baby. I don't know how often I will do this but just making one of her meals that way is nutritious and less expensive. But next time my husband will have to take her outside.

Weekend Holiday Fun

The past holiday weekend has been great. I'm kinda sad to see it go. First off, Friday afternoon, my husband, Little L and I packed a lunch, went to the park and walked two miles. Little L had some fun on the swings and going down the sliding board with Mommy.

Saturday my little baby turned seven months old. The time is flying by. I can't believe it. I tried getting some pics of her but she kept stealing the number and then ended up ripping it. I think I may have gotten one that turned out.

Sunday was fun cause it was the 4th of July of course. We had a little cook-out with the in-laws. Little L got to wear her red, white and blue dress that she had from Memorial Day which was nice cause you know how often babies get to wear the same outfit twice. Once it got dark we had a great view of the fireworks from our patio out back. At first I thought she would cry and be scared of the noise but she surprised me by sitting on my lap and watching the whole thing. She was so interested in the pretty lights in the sky.

Monday, was my birthday and nothing could have made my day better then just having my daughter and husband there to share it with me. We headed into the city to stroll around. It was so hot but we had fun. We ate some tacos and then, my favorite, peirogies. Yummm! I also had the best frozen cappuccino.

We also discovered a new organic baby food called Sprout by Tyler Florence. Little L had some of the roasted butternut squash for dinner. Mmm... I also got some organic fruits and veggies so I can make her some food. If you're looking for a good baby food book this is what I have: Top 100 Baby Purees.

All in all it was a great weekend with my two favorite people.

Donuts and dada

So what does my husband do but show me a recipe for Donut Muffins and I just had to bake them. I'd much rather bake then cook. I prefer sweets. I am addicted to cupcakes all of a sudden and it doesn't help that there is a show on Food Network called Cupcake Wars that just makes me want to try to bake new cupcakes every time I see it. So yes, Little L will probably be having cupcakes for her first birthday made by her mommy.

Little L helped me out in the kitchen by wrinkling up the recipe and throwing it on the floor. Hey, she's trying, right? haha! :) I think she was just mad because she wasn't able to eat one.
They turned out pretty good and do taste like a cinnamon sugar donut. If you would like the recipe, here's the link: Donut Muffins


This past weekend, Little L, started saying "dada". She's been saying "dodo" for a while. She doesn't seem to be saying it with much meaning yet so I'm going to say no first word..yet.

Ikea and Sven

Today was my daughters first trip to Ikea. She loved getting pushed around in her stroller and looking at everything and everyone. She made some growling noises, dropped her pacifier on the floor (tip: make sure to carry backups), the usual. :)
First off let me just say that my husband and I love looking at the rooms they have set up especially the kitchens even though we already have a new kitchen (we moved into our house last fall). We love our kitchen. It's perfect for the space that we have but there's something about those Ikea displays that make you want a bigger newer one. Lets just say they are very good at what they do. We get what we call "Ikea kitchen depression" once we leave that department. :)

Anyway, we got Little L a little bear who we call Sven (perfect for a Swedish bear). She loves it. I think she loved the tags on it more though. She does have another little "car animal" that she takes out with her, a little kitty to be exact, but it is currently in the wash due to a spit up incident. So now she has a back up friend.

So Ikea was fun. We ended up with some new bowls, a cute little container for tea, a milk frother for some lattes, a candle that smells like their yummy cinnamon buns and Sven. Not too bad considering we could have come out with a lot more. Everything is always so tempting even when you don't need it.

Why hello there!

So you stumbled upon my blog, I thought it'd only be appropriate to properly introduce myself.

*waves*
I'm Jill. I'm a wife to a wonderful husband who also happens to be awesome at baking pies! (Who would have thought?) A mother to one very beautiful, adorable, sweet little girl whom I love oh so very much (the main reason behind this blog). :) And servant to two crazy felines.

My daughter is 6 months right now...on her way quickly to 7. My how the time flies. She was born on a chilly day in December (at least I think it was chilly, it's kinda a blur) After 9 months of carrying this amazing being inside of me, feeling every movement and hearing every heartbeat she finally decided to make her entrance three days late. Those first cries and that first gaze into my eyes I will never forget. That was the best moment of my life. My wedding day is second.

I thought I would start this blog to have a place to go and talk about what's going on in "Mommy World", share my opinions, product reviews and my life (as interesting or uninteresting it may be). Enjoy and welcome! :)

**And yes that is a picture of a smiling potato as my profile pic.