On Feeding The Baby

Our journey to provide nourishment for Emma has been very different from how we fed Helene. I am the first to admit that I was not well informed when it came to infant nutrition when Helene was a baby. (Could Have-Should Haves) Since then I have researched different feeding philosophies and decided to try baby-led weaning with Emma. Much as with breastfeeding on demand, baby led weaning is about trusting your child to do the things that are completely natural for them.

What baby-led means for our family

I trust Emma to feed herself. Babies are great at knowing what they need. Most blw babies start out just gnawing on different foods and sucking the flavors out of everything more than actually eating anything. This is okay. Babies do not NEED anything other than breast milk for the first year of life.
I do not push her to eat/finish anything. The one thing you can completely rely on with babies and small children is that they know when they’re hungry and when they are full, unless something interferes with that. If she wants more, she is welcome to it as the same, if she wants to take half a bite and spit it out, no big deal.
She eats the same food we eat. Unless it’s something that has one of the big no-no foods (honey, ect.) then I give her whatever we have. Sometimes while preparing I’ll cut things in easier to hold ways for her, but most of the time she just gets the same as us.

This laid back attitude towards food has been such a blessing. Its nice to have realized that I can trust my child and her instincts. This has passed on to how Helene eats as well. At about 18 months she stopped wanting to eat everything we gave her and started boycotting meals. Baby-led weaning has taught me that even a cranky, rebellious toddler will not allow themselves to starve. She may not look like she’s eating much, but as her health will show you, she’s getting everything she needs. Now there are no fights about getting her to eat anything, I trust her, though I do admit to bribing her on occasion. If she’s asked for something else, I’ll have her eat a few bites of whatever is on her plate.

I’m excited to see where else baby-led weaning will take our family.

A is for Absent.

Absent.
That's what I've been for a loong time. Life caught up with me and I'm slowly adjusting to the workload.
Both of the girls just got over a horrible cold. We've been looking for a new job for Hubby, the hours for this one are ridiculous. There have been family functions, and spending time with good friends. Things have been so busy.
I love it.
I love spending time with friends and family, getting lost in the moment and not leaving til late at night. I love catching up over coffee or a nice long walk. I've missed these amazing people and I am working to make sure I don't neglect them again.
I've also gained some new people in my life, and I'm glad that I'm getting to know them all better. Its nice to be part of something, and feel welcome. I like that they love my kids too, its hard to be around people who don't accept our whole family as a package deal.

Now for some picture spam, because it's been a while and I have lots of cute ones.

Wordless Wednesday - New Hat

I wanted a new floppy hat, and when i picked this one up Helene asked to wear it, and my glasses. She was so happy. My little rockstar child.

5 Days Later

Okay so i haven't written in 5 days. Yuck.
Well actually I have, but it was about the amazing potty time my daughter was having. And then it all went to hell.
So now there is no point in posting about how wonderful it is to not change poopy toddler butts, because it only makes me sad that I am, yet again, changing them. I'll get over it, probably once she stops pooping in her diaper again. And then maybe I'll be able to post that awesome potty post.
Yesterday we randomly decided to go to the zoo. Well actually Hubby decided that the park was too boring and he wanted to do something better. So we packed up the kids and headed out and went to the zoo. It was a lot of fun though. They're doing this awesome play days thing where at different times throughout the day they add enrichment items to different exhibits. Its nifty because you can follow along where they are and always get to see the animals doing things, instead of just sleeping.
The giraffes were the best. On March 22nd a new little baby was born. So adorable. He was just sitting there in all his cuteness. Mama was over at the fence getting fed by a tour group along with another younger female. This younger female wanted nothing to do with the treats the people were passing out, but instead wanted mama's milk. She kept craning her neck under mama and drinking while mama kept trying to kick her. So amusing to watch. That girl know where the good stuff was! Hubs and a good time baby wearing for the first time. Or should I call it toddler wearing seeing as he wore Helene. She had a blast getting Daddy to piggy ride her.

After our tiring day at the zoo, we decided to make it even longer by going over to Hub's mom's house for dinner. We stayed for a few hours while I half slept on the couch. Right before we left we realized we had no food in the house and needed to stop at the store for something to eat. So that took another hour. Exhausted toddlers do not do well in the store, not even slightly. We got home just before bedtime, which Helene was okay with. She got into her jammies and read a book with me before happily going to sleep. She was so ready for bed. Today, I refuse to go anywhere. I need a relaxing day of doing nothing. I can't take another day of crazy like yesterday.
But it was a lot of fun, a worth it. Except for the store part. We could have skipped that one.

Lazy Days

There is a pile of dishes on the kitchen counter, the windows have spots and hand prints, the bathroom has clothes on the floor and I keep stepping on the leftover snacks on the carpet in the living room.
Am I planning on doing anything about it right now? Nope. Because I've been cuddling and snuggling my babies. We've been watching tv and playing games. Helene and I built towers and played hide and seek.
I'm pretty sure there is not a single book in this house that hasn't been read today.
Both kids are in nothing but a diaper, and I'm in my jammies because its too hot to even think about clothes.
Tomorrow I'll kick myself for not cleaning, but today I'm going to relax and watch my kids play.
I love lazy days.

Also, I think its hilarious that Helene feeds her baby dolls from a cup. No bottles or breast for her kids, just cups.
And, little temp tattoos make her look silly, but she loves them.

Meltdowns

All day we been in total meltdown. Emma is screaming because she's hungry and doesn't want to eat since her teeth hurt. Helene is screaming and throwing fits because she's two, and thats what two year old do. And Mommy is crying because all hell is breaking out and I just cant take it. I've got the worst headache, because they refuse to give me anything for my migraines because I'm breastfeeding, a million things that need doing, and nothing to make for dinner. Today the weather decided to be hot as hell, so I'm dying from the heat too.
Its been one of those kind of weeks.
Helene hit her head.. hard. She's got a giant bloody goose egg on the top of her head. Great, now she's napping and I'm panicking that its a concussion. But am I going to wake her up and keep her awake? No way in hell. I can't handle the screaming anymore. If she's not up in an hour or so, I'll try. For now, she can sleep.
Does that make me horrible? Probably. With the day I've had, I dont care.
Emma is kinda napping in the swing, which is apparently the only place other then attached to my boob  she will nap.
Okay well apparently its that time to figure out what the hell dinner will be.

Pictures 3/28

Sometimes she likes to pretend she's a super hero flying through the air.

Emma's awesome 3D hot air balloons. Working on the rest of the decor. Currently there is also a long mirror along the edge of her mattress so she can play in it while she's in her bed. 

Closer detail.