18 months of motherhood

It's been a long time since my last update at Peyton's first birthday.  As you can see, she's changed quite a bit.  My little Baby P is a full on toddler.  She started walking at about 13 months, but she really prefers to run everywhere.  She is also very clear about things she prefers.  From the jacket she wears, the toys she plays with, the food she eats, the songs I sing...this girl knows what she wants.   

Our days are full of play.  She's down to one nap a day now, so we have all morning to be out and about.  She's happy to go to the grocery store, but hates the mall! Her favorite thing though, is just to be outside.  Climbing toys at the playground, throwing rocks, watching birds, she loves it all.  As far as indoor activities, she loves getting into everything!  Cookie sheets, measuring cups, tupperware, spatulas...and that's all just before lunch.  Lately we like building with blocks, but she does get frustrated when things don't fit exactly.  We read lots and lots of books, typically the same few over and over.  Peyton loves to "cook" and is so sweet about "feeding" all her babies.  It's amazing to see her little imagination already so active.

Speaking of active, that should be her middle name.  One of our favorite ways to pass the time? Lots and lots of dance parties.  Doesn't really matter the song, we'll dance to it.  Sometimes I'll glance at her in the rearview mirror and see her dancing in her car seat.  I love her playful nature.  It's so fun seeing her joy in the simple things.

We haven't had her 18-month visit, but I believe she's about 22 pounds.  Food is still a positive thing.  There are very few things she won't eat.  There are times when she's a little more selective, but veggies, fruit, meat, they're all winners.  So far she only says about 5 words.  This does lead to frustration for both of us, since we have to communicate through lots of pointing and grunting.  I know she'll get some words, but in the meantime it's quite the guessing game. Obviously, I just love this kid. Don't get me wrong, there are many days I want to pull my hair out.  However, she is my little buddy and I love the kid she is becoming.  Thank you Peyton for making all my days that much better.

One year of Motherhood

Crazy to see the title of this post!  One year with my new BFF and sidekick!  It is true what they say, time does fly when you have a kid around. However, if I am being honest,  some days felt really, really long.  Also, there were many long nights.  The first six months were the toughest.  I've heard it said about raising kids: the days are long, but the years are short.  Truer words have never been spoken.  The thing is, even though she's in bed no later than eight, I still have work to do.  Cleaning up from the day, getting ready for the next day, and also trying to factor in some time for just me.  Seems there are never enough hours in the day.

I absolutely love my new job as Peyton's personal assistant.  On those long days though? I wouldn't mind a one-way ticket to Cabo!  I think I'd probably start to miss her though. Probably.  I think being a stay-at-home mom can make those days feel longer.  (I am not here to say being a stay-at-home mom is more challenging than being a working parent.  I don't know how working parents do it!  I'm just giving my perspective as a stay-at-home mom.) I am so grateful to be able to spend my days with her. I really don't want to miss anything.  There are definitely challenges though. 12 hours spent with a person who can not really do anything for themselves and who you can not reason with, and who doesn't understand when mommy might want to go to the bathroom by herself...that can be exhausting.  I'm lucky to have a husband who steps in and gives me the reprieve when needed. Also, there's wine and cookies.

Becoming a Mom has changed me.  I see things differently now.  My priorities are definitely different.  My family and my baby are number one.  I definitely don't have time for a lot of the things that I used to enjoy, but I know that there will be a time for those things again.  It honestly doesn't matter right now.  I am completely dedicated to this period in my life and I want to give it my all...except for those moments when I'm on Facebook, Pinterest, or watching TV.

As far as Peyton goes....she is great. She just had her one-year check-up and she is right on track! Weighing 20 pounds and 29 inches long, she's about average.  No walking yet, but slowly getting a few steps in.  I know once she starts, I'm in for it.  One of my favorite things about her now is how affectionate she has become.  She gives the best, most slobbery, open-mouth kisses ever!  She also will "hug", by laying her head on you.  It's only about the cutest thing.  Also, if you ask her if something is "soft", she will put it to her cheek to test it out. She does this with just about everything, dolls, blankets, stuffed animals, dirty laundry.  I'm working on cutting out her bottles, and giving her almost all table food.  This kid is still a maniac for food!  She loves to eat and has no patience.  Food! Now! She now has eight teeth!!  The two most recent being molars, which I think caused her a little discomfort.  We're having fun with our music class, but I think she's ready for a new challenge.  She wants to be on the move as much as she can.  We just went to a really fun Play and Learn class at Gymboree, and I think that is more to her speed.  I would also like to do some swim classes.  She has a really fun group of friends, and I enjoy spending time with their moms...it's a win-win!  

Overall, I think she's a healthy, happy kid.  It's crazy to look back on the changes.  These past few months I've especially noticed how much she is growing.  I'm really enjoying this age, but always looking forward to what she'll do next!

Eleven months of Motherhood

My little baby....just trying to grow up so fast.  Gone are the days of sitting for these monthly photos.  There are too many things to climb, throw, eat, discover.  Each day we hit the ground running and it's a pretty full 13 hours.  She maximizes every minute.

Yeah...big month.  She has heard JT every single day since the CD came out....I'm pretty sure she is singing along.  We love music.   Dancing and singing all the time.  I do my best to entertain her with my dancing....she usually laughs at me.  If you have little ones around I hope you expose them to music.  Babies and kids are so responsive to music.  I'm always surprised when I sing a song from our music class and P responds.  It's already ingrained in her little memory.

We climb stairs.  We climb stairs a lot.  She used to have a tough time and now it is second nature. You may be able to see that she has a toy in her left hand.  She loves to carry things wherever she goes. I guess I'll be getting her a purse soon.  Stair climbing does kill a lot to time in our day and it's amazing to see how much stronger she has become.

Swinging has become our new favorite.  It's so fun to see how much joy she gets from this.  I see a lot of time at the playground in our future.  Looking forward to a fun-filled summer. We're always looking for new activities to fill our days.

We love looking at books and catalogs.  I hope this translates into a love of reading and books.  I've always loved reading and it would be fun to see her enjoy that also.  She now has six teeth!  The top four just came through so quickly.  My guess is she's just about 20 pounds.  For as much as she eats, I'm surprised she doesn't weigh 60 pounds! It's pretty amazing to look back and see how much she has grown.  We're spending a lot of our time planning her big first birthday party!  I keep thinking back to this time last year and how I was enjoying my last few weeks of pregnancy.  Seems like a lifetime ago. Life has definitely changed.

My day in photos....

7am: Let's do this

8am JT on Jimmy

9am Breakfast:

10am Catching up...

11am Toy Time

12pm Zoo with friends

1pm Peek-a-Boo

2pm Mail Time

3 pm Cookies for friends

4pm Cookies for me

5pm Dinner Prep

6pm Dance Party

7pm Good night

8pm Mom's night out....

The rest of the evening is a little hazy......Pretty sure it involves some time with my best friend; my Ipad.

What does your typical day look like? Do you spend as much time with babies and Justin Timberlake as I do?!?

10 months of motherhood

Oh little one...we have reached double digits.  I can't believe that in a few short weeks you will be one year old!!  Okay, getting way ahead of myself!  Let's talk about this fun month!

We were lucky enough to have another great family trip to Cabo!  Little P did really well.  We rented a house with some dear friends, so it was a similar environment to home. With her more consistent schedule, I was even able to get in some much needed pool time!

She continues her obsession with food.  I mean, loves, loves, loves food.  Gone are the days of spontaneous lunches out.  If I don't have food packed for her, and the restaurant doesn't necessarily serve kid-friendly meals, it's not going to happen.  Also, we have learned to eat quickly.

This girl still loves to move.  She's becoming a very proficient crawler.  Now that she's able to get around she is much happier. Another thing that she's enjoying....

Climbing!  Doesn't she look so cute standing there? It's the funniest thing to see this tiny little person standing up!  She particularly likes to use our pant legs to get up, down, and around.   We'll see what the next few months bring as far as mobility goes.  

She has three teeth, and from what I can tell, really didn't suffer too much with teething.  I feel like our days are becoming "easier" as she has become a pretty consistent baby.  Two naps everyday, with free time in the middle of the day to get things done.  I think she tires herself out playing hard and discovering new things.  She has a cute little sense of humor, often times pretending to laugh right along with us at jokes.   I can't believe how much has changed in these past few months!  Each day brings something new, different, and fun.

9 months of motherhood

I think this is the first time I have actually posted within days of Peyton celebrating her next month! Super Mom!  This has been a huge month.  Huge.  Someone has two little teeth beginning to poke out of her bottom gums.  She really likes it when I try to stick my finger in there everyday checking the status...really likes it.  My days of annoying her have begun!  And, we have complete crawling.  One day she just got it and she hasn't stopped!  She usually will grab a couple toys and crawl around with them.  Multi-talented.

She hasn't managed to get into too much trouble yet.  She is definitely obsessed with our cat though.  Will go out of her way to crawl towards him.  Unfortunately, the feeling is not mutual.

The dog, however, seems to like her just fine.  He may be slightly terrified of her, but likes her anyway.

To help keep our sanity, we are busy with activities.  We enjoyed our first story time at our local library.  I was surprised at how many kids were there.  Some even as young as a couple months.  The librarian was very energetic and led the kids in songs, stories, and puppets.  Can't wait to go back.

We attended a Super Bowl party at her Auntie Nikki's house and she had fun playing with some of the other kids there.  She didn't seem too bothered by the fact that her mother made her shirt...

We had a lot of love in our house with Valentine's Day and the celebration of our second wedding anniversary.

This is something I even hesitate to say, but I think we finally have sleep down!  It only took about 8 months, but she pretty much sleeps through the night and she takes two good naps a day.  We had a couple rough weeks there when she would get up before 6am.....um, Mommy really can't do that.  Now we're usually up by 7am and going strong until about 7pm. (I hope I didn't jinx myself! Sleep baby!)  At this point, Peyton is, in baby terms, 40 weeks old.  Which is equal to how many weeks I was pregnant with her.  She and I have spent a lot of time together! It truly is amazing to watch her turn into a little person right before my very eyes.  I can't believe that in a few short months we will celebrate her first birthday...but I'm getting ahead of myself.  Time just truly flies with a baby around.

On another note...my recipe for Tagalong Waffle Cookies has been selected as one of the top 5 finalists in the Girl Scouts of Western Washington recipe contest!  I was truly surprised and excited to get that email.  After seeing the other finalists, I can say I am in some very good company!  You can see the other recipes and cast a vote for your favorite  here.  The winner gets to prepare and share their recipe on TV!  What is it those famous people say?? "It's an honor just to be nominated!"

8 months of motherhood

Okay, nevermind that Miss P is almost 9 months old...I'm a little behind on this post!  We have been busy, busy!  This little girl, who seemed like such a little baby, is becoming such a little person!  Oh, and forget about those adorable photos with her proudly displaying her age.  The sticker is too tempting and she rarely sits still.

She discovered movement! Albeit backwards and only on her stomach, she can get places.

We enjoyed her first Christmas.  I suppose she won't remember much of it, so I'm looking forward to the holidays when she is older.  She definitely seemed more comfortable with the big family gathering...she better get used to it!

We've continued to have so much fun with food.  She still eats purees, but really enjoys feeding herself.  Cheerios are a favorite..for both of us.  I have to feed her slowly or else she will try to put ten Cheerios in her mouth at once.  Maybe she gets that from me? It's fun watching her complete determination in feeding herself.  As soon as something is placed on her tray, her little hands get to work.

We've been enjoying a mild winter here in Seattle, so we feel lucky to get outside as much as we can.  We spend many afternoons walking to our neighborhood coffee spot.  She loves riding in her stroller looking around.  I definitely feel like we are getting into more of a routine.  Yes, it is still difficult and tiring and all-consuming, but things are becoming more predictable. I'm waiting for the next challenge, but enjoying every minute.

7 months of Motherhood

I know it seems like I was just writing about 6 months with Baby P, and now here we are at 7!  This has been a pretty big month.  Lots of new things in this little girl's life.

We did our first 5K together!

The race was an annual Turkey Trot here in Seattle.  It was a special day because it was Thanksgiving and also my birthday!  Who better to share it with than my little sweetie?  I hope that Peyton enjoys a life of fitness.  I will do my best to encourage her by showing her what an important element it is in my life.  

We survived our first major holiday...Thanksgiving!

We always spend the holiday with our family enjoying good food.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday so I was so excited to share it with P.  Unfortunately, P is a little apprehensive around people.  She spends pretty much every hour of every day with me and Darling Husband.  So when she gets around others, she sort of loses it.  She'll smile at you, but don't try and hold her.  We were even joking that day that no one should even look her in the eye.  It was a long day for her, but she sure looked good.

Speaking of food, I am having so much fun using my Beaba Babycook.

I got this little gadget for a steal on Craigslist and I just love it. This machine will steam and puree all in one.  It makes baby purees in a snap!  Peyton's favorite right now is definitely carrots.  She also really enjoys yogurt, so I mix that up with baby cereal.  I've had a lot of fun making baby food, but also give her jarred food.  We just do whatever works!

Overall, this has been such a fun time.  Each day she shows me a new glimpse into her personality. She loves her dog brother and is appropriately apprehensive about the cat.  She has a great laugh and loves to giggle.  She loves stacking things and then knocking them down.  If there is a tag on anything, she will find it.  Playtime is becoming very fun.  Who knows what the next months will bring?