Parenting Check-March 21

[karlamo]

It's snowing here and it's Spring.  Alrighty then!

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

QOTW:  What do you eat for breakfast?  What do you feed your kid(s)?  

(Yes, this really is the QOTW, hehehe)

[karlamo]

Ok. I'm checking in right now so time doesn't get away from me.

Last week was great. We went to an indoor water park. I paid all of $10 and we had a blast. It was just me and the kids. I didn't think much of it till another mom approach me and said how brave I was doing it alone. I looked around and saw I was the only parent there without another adult to help them. I've come a long way baby. To think 6 months ago I was scared to be alone with both kids and here I am going to splash pads with them.
I needed a parenting win. It balances out the days where I have to drag screaming kids out of playgroup or parks:)

We got our 2 year and 6 month photos back. They are unbelievable. What I love about them is that they are no frills. The photographer didn't put us or the kids in any fancy poses or with lots of props. We did it at our house and outside and they truly captured our everyday life.

We took R to a allergy free Easter egg hunt over the weekend. They fill the eggs with safe candies and trinkets. It took him all of 5 seconds to get the hang of it and then he was off running from egg to egg. He had the best looking Easter basket there if I do say so myself. We had them made off Etsy with boys names embroidered on them.

I made homemade fruit roll ups yesterday. I saw them on one of those cooking FB clips. It was so easy. I purred 3 mangos, then spread them on a cookie sheet and baked them at 175 for 3 hours. They came out super tasty.

QOTW: I make smoothies in the morning and coffee. I sometimes eat a muffin or something like that. R eats oatmeal, cereal, soy yogurt and sometimes waffles.

Anyone do those overnight oats in a mason jar that you see on Pintrest? I wonder how they taste.

Well that's enough randomness from me this morning.

[sdfonz619]

karlamo, It is nice to know you do eventually get over the fear of being out with the kids and are able to get out for fun family time. It took me until almost 5 months to feel comfortable taking Mila out alone. Also, homemade fruit roll ups are the best!

Last week was hectic for me at work which made the week fly by, but I didn't feel like I was able to accomplish everything I needed to by Friday. Hopefully the week still moves quickly but I am able to get everything on my to do list checked off.

This weekend MW let me sleep in which made a huge difference in my energy level. We spent Saturday at home going through unpacked boxes in our garage sorting out items to donate and items to purge in preparation for when we move later this year. We would like to streamline what we have to make the move as simple as possible, and then start fresh when we get to Texas.

As for Mila, she turned 6 months on the 18th and in just the last week has mastered rolling both ways, sitting up and saying all sorts of consonants. Food wise, sweet potatoes got us a meh response, she loved avocado and almost immediately after trying bananas last night she projectile vomited all over MW. Her gag reflex seems to be super strong and so we are thinking about waiting a couple more weeks before introducing anything else.

QOTW: During the week, I eat oatmeal every morning along with drinking between 1-1.5 liters of water. Boring I know, this combination seems to give me the best energy while I am at work. On the weekends, we usually have eggs, baked or scrambled being the most favorite ways, with turkey bacon and toast or fruit. Sometimes we make pancakes but this only happens once or twice every couple of months.

[karlamo]

sdfonz619, got any fruit roll up tricks to share? I didn't have that fancy spatula tool that's flat so you can spread it evenly so I made do with what I had. Can wax paper go in the oven?

[cetcar]

Mar 21, 2016 10:17:47 GMT -5 karlamo said:

sdfonz619, got any fruit roll up tricks to share? I didn't have that fancy spatula tool that's flat so you can spread it evenly so I made do with what I had. Can wax paper go in the oven?

Sorry to jump in- I think parchment paper is better to use in the oven.

[cetcar]

M is 2 months old today and we have her 2 month appointment this afternoon. We're curious how much she weighs now. She feels heavier. She will get her vaccinations, poor kid but in the long run it will be worth it.

I think last week she went through a growth spurt where for a few days she didn't nap much and wanted to eat all the time. We also had some of our best nights sleepwise.

We're still getting tons of smiles which just melt our hearts. We love them. And she's starting to really enjoy bath time. Kicking and splashing. Lately she's been pushing her feet again the edge of the tub and wiggling her buttom on the seat. It's pretty silly.

A lot of our family and friends have been visiting to meet M. While is so sweet so many people want to meet her, everyone has their opinions/theories about what you should and shouldn't be doing. It gets tiring to hear. I think we basically do what we need to so M stays happy. Overall, she's a very good baby. It's also hard because everyone wants to hold her but she isn't always in the mood to just hang out.

QOTW-
Lately, I've been having either a smoothie or half a bagel with cottage cheese. I always have a banana early and iced decaf coffee. CET has toast and then later has some yogurt and coffee.

[cetcar]

karlamo what do you typically put in your smoothies?

[karlamo]

cetcar , I'm boring. I use Almond milk with some sort of green like spinach or kale along with a banana, frozen fruit, 2 tbls of flax seed. Sometimes I add coconut butter for the extra nutrition.

What's in yours? 

[mahler5]

We had a pretty low key weekend. L and I tried packing some during naps and after bed time. C got a cold so we stayed in. She is better already, so I think it's something mild.

I'm hoping to take C to the zoo tomorrow with my mom in KC. It's supposed to be nice and I thought it would be fun to do before we move and get busy with unpacking, then nesting for the new baby, and then the new baby!

I kind of had this realization that I don't have much more time before it's hard to be as active with C when I'm really pregnant, and then after the baby arrives I know we won't get out much for a month or two. I'm thinking of enrolling her in another swim class in April. I feel like that is something I can do pregnant and is actually pretty good for me. Plus, that will definitely be hard to so after the baby comes. She liked the swimming class we did last Spring but I didn't keep it up. I think she will get a lot more out of it now.

QOTW-- we do oatmeal, sausage, toast, yoghurt and usually some fruit.

This morning C had yoghurt and a banana. A lot of times she has blueberries and oatmeal or blueberries, toast and sausage. She used to love eggs but won't eat them now. But she will eat French toast, so I do that a lot too and use a lot of eggs and wheat bread.

Yoghurt is her favorite thing. She seriously wakes up, runs to the kitchen and tries to pull the refrigerator door open, saying "yoghurt". I don't mind except she wants it for lunch and then her snack too!

Oh and I will usually do oatmeal, maybe yoghurt, and some fruit. I've been on a Chai tea kick lately too since I am trying to stay away from too much coffee and have had a lot of GI cramps with the pregnancy. I miss coffee though.

[kh826]

William is 21 months & Lucie will be 8 weeks tomorrow!

This will not be a comprehensive check-in because I am tired and scatterbrained, but here are a few top of mind parenting thoughts...

William is getting a haircut on Wednesday! Thank goodness! He looks like a shaggy dog.
Lu finally has some hair coming in. It is currently very light do hard to see in photos. It's kind of spikey right now. It's prett funny.
My mom and youngest sister are coming on Friday for two days. They will be meeting Lu for the first time. I'm stressed.
William is have a terrible time with teething his 2 year molars. Poor boy has been beside himself several times in the last week with teething pain. We had to break down and give him Tylenol on Saturday.
Lu is doing way better with head control the last couple of days. We really need to give her more tummy time though. Must make that a priority...

That's all I've got at the moment...

QOTW: Willam usually has a hard boiled egg, a cheese stick, a handful of dry cereal and some kind of fruit (sometimes a mandarin orange, sometimes banana, sometimes berries, etc.)

I am usually a fruit, yogurt and coffee lady for breakfast.
I will be honest though, lately I have been skipping breakfast a few times a week just because I don't have time or i forget. As long as I have my coffee, I can make it to lunch! Can't skip the coffee!

[2brides]

We are on spring break vacation. Traveling with nearly 10y olds is great and so much easier and fun!

QOTD: I've been making smoothies with a banana, T of peanut butter, unsweetened cocoa powder, ice, and milk. It's like drinking a chocolate milkshake and keeps me full.

One kid eats a mini sausage biscuit, fruit, and milk

The other kid eats a slice of turkey bacon, fruit, and milk.

It changes from time to time. We've done yogurt, protein bars, cheese toast, cinnamon toast, etc. The kids typically get on a kick for several months and then move to something else.

[serpentine85]

S is 14mo.

This week, she's had a raging cold and we've been treated to toddler tantrums over every little infraction of the rules of her ladyship's kingdom. This morning's melt down was over Mumma trying to use a warm flannel to soak her completely crusted nose (her poor nose!) when you add in that she's also teething (almost a full set. She's working on number 15 right now) some nights there are miserable tears before bed and Mumma often joins in (Laddy laughed at this until I threatened 38 mins in the thinking corner)

I swear she's shot up a couple inches in the last week in a blink-and-you-miss-it growth spurt. She's started getting hold of things that were out of reach at the start of the month. And she's so light on her feet now, it takes actual effort to catch her.

It's strange to see her running around at the stay and play. Perhaps it's because she's just above the ninth 'centile and her legs have less to carry around but other kids her age when we go down are still walking with the early stage wobble and S - significantly smaller than her peers - is running from one end of the room to the other, steering around stray toys and all. I'm just wondering if she's being a little too active on her feet. Can she do damage to developing muscle and bone if she does all of this too soon? I'm aware of stuff like that because my parents' dog was extra active in his early years and now has arthritis at just middle age. I know it sounds silly but does anyone know the answer?

[karlamo]

Kristykristyleelee , locks for the oven door, toilet seat locks, locks for doors that lead to stairs or outside. And if she gets to be like my kid, locks on the pantry door or she'll help herself:)

ETA: karlamo's hosue is Fort Knox

[kona]

Mar 22, 2016 9:28:50 GMT -5 serpentine85 said:

S is 14mo.

This week, she's had a raging cold and we've been treated to toddler tantrums over every little infraction of the rules of her ladyship's kingdom. This morning's melt down was over Mumma trying to use a warm flannel to soak her completely crusted nose (her poor nose!) when you add in that she's also teething (almost a full set. She's working on number 15 right now) some nights there are miserable tears before bed and Mumma often joins in (Laddy laughed at this until I threatened 38 mins in the thinking corner)

I swear she's shot up a couple inches in the last week in a blink-and-you-miss-it growth spurt. She's started getting hold of things that were out of reach at the start of the month. And she's so light on her feet now, it takes actual effort to catch her.

It's strange to see her running around at the stay and play. Perhaps it's because she's just above the ninth 'centile and her legs have less to carry around but other kids her age when we go down are still walking with the early stage wobble and S - significantly smaller than her peers - is running from one end of the room to the other, steering around stray toys and all. I'm just wondering if she's being a little too active on her feet. Can she do damage to developing muscle and bone if she does all of this too soon? I'm aware of stuff like that because my parents' dog was extra active in his early years and now has arthritis at just middle age. I know it sounds silly but does anyone know the answer?

As a physical therapist, I can assure you that her early mobility will not be an issue for her later in life. Encourage her to explore her surroundings!

[calsurb]

Our little one is 9.5 months old. She started crawling last week after doing push-ups and the like since January. Our pediatrician suggested that I nurse her til she's groggy and then put her on her crib instead of nursing fully to sleep. I had some tears about this because I just love plopping her on my shoulder and then into the crib. The pediatrician also had us start the transition off bottles too, since she does great with the sippy cup (it's one of those rimless kinds).

For breakfast DW, baby, and I all eat some version of oatmeal with almond butter. I chug a bunch of water too, to keep my milk supply up. On the weekends, I make omlettes with an English muffin and avocado. We stayed at a hotel at Christmas that had an omlette station and I watched that omlette lady like a hawk! Now, I'm pretty good with fluffiness and presentation!

[serpentine85]

kona, Thank you. That takes a weight off. I was worried what all that running about was doing to her still developing legs.

We've been out exploring a lot recently and S has discovered (with Laddy's help) that she likes to climb stuff. That should tire her out a bit, lol

[cetcar]

Mar 21, 2016 12:04:01 GMT -5 karlamo said:

cetcar , I'm boring. I use Almond milk with some sort of green like spinach or kale along with a banana, frozen fruit, 2 tbls of flax seed. Sometimes I add coconut butter for the extra nutrition.

What's in yours? 

I don't have a set recipe but keep it fairly simply- I mix it up but some combination of- frozen berries (raspberries, blueberries, cherries, strawberries) or more tropical fruits (mango or pineapple), greens (kale, spinach, dandelion greens, once I used arugula- too strong of a flavor), chia seeds, plain greek yogurt, water or coconut water, sometimes I'll add some Vega protein powder instead of the greek yogurt. I have this nut based granola and I occasionally add to the top. I want to try making an acai bowl- that's next.

When I was pregnant and trying to have more calcium, I went through a phase of mixing milk, dried oats, applesauce, and cinnamon. May sound strange but it was really good.