Peek-a-Boo!

Miss Independent

We have reached a new and tricky phase with our cute little toddler.  She INSISTS on doing EVERYTHING by herself- even those tasks she can't do and won't be able to do for months or years.  The biggest problem arises with tasks that are dangerous because let me tell you: this girl can throw a tantrum if she doesn't get her way!

One battle I choose not to participate in centers around mealtime:

Delia refuses to eat unless she has her own utensil.  (Notice the upside-down usage of her tool)
(She's chowing down on our own version of "hot cereal"-
flax meal, applesauce, cinnamon, yams, and raisins)

Of course she isn't really delivering the goods at a fast enough rate, so she must employ a more efficient device.

THERE'S THE GOOD STUFF!

Not exactly the cleanest or most effective way to eat, but a happy and fed baby is the ultimate goal, right?

Low-Key Halloween

I haven't forgotten about you my dear, dear blog. You were in my thoughts everyday. I'm finally not feeling completely zombieish anymore. Because of many sleepless nights, a vacation, and lots and lots of sickness the blog has taken a back seat. I have missed writing about our silly little lives and keeping updated on everyone else's!

Delia had a super hard October with needle-like protuberances ripping through her gums all day and night ("teething" just doesn't do this EVIL stage of life justice). Our darling, happy-go-lucky baby has turned into a grumpy monster!!!!

I was talking to my friend about our difficulties and she sent me this PERFECT quote:

In the church news today, they quoted Elder Holland about the seasons of life a woman goes through. I thought you might relate at this time in your life. I sure remember feeling this way.

"The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. The young years are often those when either husband or wife--or both--may still be in school or in those earliest and leanest stages of developing the husband's bread-winning capacities. Finances fluctuate daily between low and nonexistent. The apartment is usually decorated in one of two smart designs--Deseret Industries provincial or early Mother Hubbard. The car, if there is one, runs on smooth tires and an empty tank. But with night feedings and night teethings, often the greatest challenge of all for a young mother is simply fatigue. Through these years, mothers go longer on less sleep and give more to others with less personal renewal for themselves than any other group I know at any other time in life. It is not surprising when the shadows under their eyes sometimes vaguely resemble the state of Rhode Island...Even so, young mothers will still find magnificent ways to serve faithfully in the Church, even as others serve and strengthen them and their families in like manner. Do the best you can through these years, but whatever else you do, cherish that role that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones."

THANK YOU ELDER HOLLAND (and Stephanie)!!!! It's amazing how just sending along a simple quote can give so much comfort!  The most difficult moments I've had as a mom have been during sleep deprivation- BY FAR. I'm grumpy, I don't eat healthy, I don't exercise... I pretty much stop taking care of myself and just survive, it's miserable (I'm not sure why this happens, maybe some sleep expert can tell me).

So... on to the actual topic of this post:  I usually make a big deal about Halloween and have costumes planned and made months in advance, activites and crafts prepared ... not so much this year. It still ended up being a fun holiday and I don't think the kids noticed things weren't planned or prepared!



We had a great time at the Ward Festival.
 (Dee Dee was too sad to party, so Bry stayed home with her)
Here the kids are eating a healthy dinner of rolls and Root Beer.



I always think such a well-rounded meal should end with a cupcake.
(Does anyone else think there's too much junk-food at stuff like this?)

Besides candy, cupcakes, and doughnuts the kids got lots of fun little toys and stickers at the carnival.
The best prize of the evening were super cool balloon shapes
(Hyrum's is a light saber of course!)

Ivy chose a fairy wand which almost survived the whole night. 

Carving Jack-O-Lanterns is always the funnest Halloween activity (not so much the clean up)

On the actual night we tried to have a quick dinner and get homework done, but the kids were too excited to Trick-or-Treat... we figured it wasn't a battle worth fighting. 



Poor Dee Dee couldn't walk in her bumble bee costume, but she sure looked adorable!



She didn't quite get the Trick-or-Treating thing this year (it wasn't expected that she would).  She just wanted to sit and eat the treat the FIRST house gave her.  Why would she put it in a bucket?  Why would she walk up to complete strangers when she already had a piece of candy?  It was so fun to see her confusion and frustration.



Ivy decided to go as a fairy/princess/ballerina. 
We love how she poses for pictures now.




Hyrum chose to wear his Spiderman pjs (could it be any easier?). 
He refused any make-up on his face, but I couldn't complain! 



We have a SUPER fun neighborhood for Trick-or-Treating now.  Everyone goes all out with decorations and music.  The festivites even ended early since it was a school night.  It ended up being a fun weekend of celebration!

Dee Dee's Daily Fiber

Yep, that's sand all over her face and you can bet it's in her mouth.  I would have never DREAMED of letting Hyrum and Ivy put sand in their mouths, but Delia eats it by the handful.  Welcome to having three kids...



Paleo Update: The Kids' Diet

Once I started feeling so amazing on the Paleo Diet, I knew I needed to get the kids eating healthier.   I wasn't very worried about Ivy and Delia- they are both GREAT eaters.  I was super concerned about Hyrum though. 




DD is a bottomless pit when it comes to food.  She eats (almost) everything with delight.  (Her tray has strawberries, scrambled eggs and sausage)


Pre-Paleo his diet consisted of cereal, bread, crackers, pizza, and chicken nuggets.  I knew this wasn't healthy food, but I had this irrational fear of letting my child starve to death so I let him limp along nutritionally.

It took him a few weeks of near starvation, but every week since we've started the diet he's added at least one new food (this is a MIRACLE for anyone who knows how picky and stubborn Hyrum has always been concerning everything he puts in his mouth).  So far he's added: beef patties, turkey patties, oranges, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, eggs, and pineapple.  His palate is maturing and his attitude toward food and trying new cuisine is becoming so much more positive.  It's very, very exciting!

Hyrum's super excited because his FAVORITE food is burgers.  He also has sweet potato chips, strawberries, lettuce, and carrots on his plate- and no, bottled mustard is NOT paleo:)

We try to stay positive about food at meal times to create a happy atmosphere.  If the kids don't want something on their plate we ask them not to voice their complaints, just don't eat it.  If they would like second helpings of a particular item, they have to at least TRY everything on their plate.  We've chosen not to make mealtimes a battle anymore (that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of tears and plenty of chaos though).  It's a long process, just like anything that's really important in life.

The only guilty situations with this crazy eating plan are when we're out in the world or if the kids have friends over.  Hyrum will come home from school and say, "Violet had a lunchables today" or "Dylan gets pop in his lunch" with such envy and frustration.  It's really hard to compete with junk food!  It's sad for me- not being the "fun mommy" of the neighborhood with never-ending sweets in all the drawers and cupboards.

The first thing Ivy asks when we visit someone's house is, "Do you have any food?"  I know she's attempting to break as many dietary rules as possible before she has to come back to her own strict house.

Ivy is THRIVING at mealtimes.  It hasn't been very difficult for her since she's always been the odd-one-out because of her allergies.  Now we eat one meal and I don't have to make something different for everyone!  (The delectable drink in Ivy's green cup is called a "green smoothie"- I know it looks gross, but it's yummy.)

I REALLY don't want my little ones to be the crazy, sugar deprived kids of the neighborhood who roam from house to house consuming as much food as they can before they are forced to come home.  I want them to be proud to give their body healthy nutrients and understand how much stronger they can be because of it...
we've still got a long way to go...

  

6 Days later...DeeDee's Walking!

Erin has spent years encouraging me to write a post. I guess it just took me being the one to witness a "first" for once.  Too many times I've come home to hear all the amazing and cute things my children do while I'm at school. But today, I am one proud dad.  Just six days ago we were enjoying Delia's spider-crawl.  While upstairs playing, she just stood up and walked across the room like it wasn't a big deal.  I was afraid that I had missed my chance.  With her you have a very small window of opportunity to catch her performing.  I can't recount the number of occasions we wished that we kept the camcorder on us at all times.  I ran downstairs as fast as I could, grabbed the camcorder, ran back up and started recording just in time...

Spider Crawl

The heat has finally broken and I can actually see why people live in the state of Texas.  We enjoy mornings in the 70s and afternoons in the 90s- WHAT A RELIEF!!!

With the cooler weather it's actually possible to relax outside and we're loving riding bikes, walks, park adventures, flying kites, and just hanging out in the back yard. 

I was hoping Delia would start walking before the mild weather arrived, but, alas, we still have a crawler.  She's had lots of major falls while attempting to walk, so for now, she's decided crawling is much more comfortable.  

This presents problems at the park and on cement.  But, I'm learning to loosen up about bloody knees and stained clothes- as long as Delia is happy and safe... AND not TOO filthy...

Here's her cute little "protect the knees" crawling technique:

 

Baby Slime

Delia has started teething-  a statement that sends chills down the spine!  No sleep, tantrums, and overall fussiness... yep, sounds like a typical day at our house. 

Since constant pressure on her sore gums helps alleviate the pain, she likes to use each of us as her own personal teethers.  Hyrum and Ivy are super patient with her (since the stumps in her mouth aren't sharp yet). But, they don't love the residue she leaves behind, which they've nicknamed "baby slime". 

Here she is, going in for the kill:



I happen to think baby slime is adorable and delightful... unless Delia just ate brocolli, then it's just gross.

She can almost always be found with something in her mouth, preferably hard with a little squish.  Mmmmmm... plastic cookie.



Stages of a Diaper Change

Delia is very strong and very fast, much like a puppy wriggling free from even the most determined arms (we often refer to her as our little puppy).  She also CAN'T STAND lying on her back.  So, as you can imagine, diaper changes can be problematic nowadays...

Here's the stages of a typical diaper change with our dear one year old:

We first begin with the recognition that the dirty diaper cannot be ignored any more- whether because it is sagging enough for crack to show, or because the stench has created a green cloud (or both).

Now comes the preparation step. Take out all the needed supplies, open, and organize- as if preparing for a natural disaster.



Here comes the tantrum stage as we lay the darling baby on a safe, secure surface...  legs flailing dangerously close to the steaming pile in the diaper, clenching booty cheeks like a vice so retrieval is impossible,  just prolonging the screaming and torture.  It's hard work, but with precision and patience cleanliness IS attainable. 





Just as the bum is shiny and clean comes the first escape.

  In a circumstance where the choice is to keep the baby restrained and leave the diaper (and it's contents) unattended for siblings and other loved ones to step, fall on, and/or play with OR allow the prisoner to flee and secure the diaper, ALWAYS choose the latter!!!



Next, comes the second escape as fumbling with those tiny, slippery onesie buttons is inevitable... at least the diaper's on...



ANNNND FINALLY, the goal is reached!  The baby is cleaned and clothed.  Now just breathe easy and know that a great feat was accomplished ... but don't revel in your success for too long cuz the baby's playing in the garbage ...

The Lost Pictures

I SWORE we took pictures of Delia's birthday, but couldn't find them when I posted.  They just turned up magically the other day.  Here they are!

Thanks so much to those who gave her cute clothes, toys, books, and money!  We are so very grateful!

DeeDee is 1!

The best word I can use to describe our little baby girl is DELICIOUS.  I know, that's kind of weird, but it's just what it is. She's so beautiful, and cute, and funny, and cheerful, and sweet, and lovely- such a perfect little gift.


She giggles when we play, sing, read books, when we feed her, when her diaper change is FINALLY over, when we come in to get her after a nap, and when she thinks something is funny and wants everyone else to laugh. The rest of the time, she's usually screaming, which, crazily enough makes her even more lovable. We love our feisty girls in this house.

I had to include a crazy hair collage.

This is Bryan when he was a baby (a little older than one, but he looks so much like Delia in this one, I had to post it.)  Ivy was looking at this picture with Bryan and she asked, "Who is that?"  Bryan replied, "It's me when I was a baby."  Ivy inquired back, "When you were a girl?"

This is me on my first birthday.  (I love the retro high chair)

Here's Hyrum at his first b-day

And Ivy too!

  
Our darling Delia adds such a sweet spirit to our home, we're such a lucky family to have her!

She's such a tiny little thing- she's still in 6 and 9 month clothes and wears SIZE 2 diapers!

Here's another little video... 
I had a super hard time filming Delia singing- I could hardly hold the camera up from laughing so hard.  The weird thing about her singing talent is she'll only bust it out for Daddy- NO ONE else.

Delia at 9 months with lots of parental guilt

Here's her stats:

Weight:  14lbs. 6oz. (3rd percentile)

Length: 26 in.  (10th percentile)

Head: 41.5 (3rd percentile)

So, as you can see (if you have the most amazing memory in the entire universe) our petite little girl didn't grow at all and gained very little since her last check-up (thus parental guilt in title).  Just like her big bro, Delia is a PICKY EATER. 

Besides MILLIONS of Cherrios and formula, she hardly ever eats anything.  It's incredibly frustrating and she's usually a grump- most likely because she's hungry.  What's a parent to do?  She's surrounded by yummy, healthy food, but flat out refuses to eat it.

Moving onto the cute pictures... at least she's a cutie:

Sweet piggy-tails

Grumpiness aside, she really is a delight.  She LOVES attention and tickles and songs- especially if any of them involve Ivy and Hyrum.  She isn't crawing yet, but inches closer every day (maybe some nutrients in her body might help).   She loves being out and about, probably because it involes hundreds of people cooing at her and RAVING about her cuteness.  We couldn't imagine our family without her.  We love you Delia!

Humble Beginnings

Tents in the desert, tiny log cabins, covered wagons crossing the plains, and how can I not include a manger in a humble stable.  Some of the most important, respected, and inspiring people I know spent much of their babyhood and childhood in not-so-luxurious accommodations.

This is Delia's "bedroom":

Delia's very own baby cave

Yep, right next to the shower and sink.  We don't have an actual room for her in our tiny house, so we had to be creative.  Luckily we have a good size, mostly unused guest bathroom.

 She doesn't have cute little decorations on the wall or beautiful, plush bed coverings like she deserves.  I have a feeling spending the first year of her life in a bathroom won't damage her future prospects, just like many of my heroes who didn't have much.

Blooms

In my garden there is a large place for sentiment.

My garden of flowers is also my garden of thoughts and dreams.

The thoughts grow as freely as the flowers, and the dreams are as beautiful.

~Abram L. Urban

I love to garden- I don't know why.  All the dirt and compost and seeds that my parents and grandparents toiled over must have made it into my genes.  I actually complain to Bryan frequently that it's too small and it's not enough work- yep, the words "not enough work" actually escaped my lips.  Gardening just doesn't feel like work.

Here's our beautiful little crochus blooms waiting to delight us as we go about our busy day: 

It's amazing how a tiny thing like a flower can lift my spirits so high.

Updates

Delia's appetite has returned with vigor, so hopefully her cold is on the mend.  She still isn't crawling, but she can sit up now (for about 10 seconds).



curls, curls, curls



Ivy decided she's NOT a princess anymore.  She insists we call her "ballaweena" Ivy now.  She often declares sweet things like, "Dad you're so cool.  I just have to tell you- you're the coolest man."

Hyrum is hardly ever spotted without either a nerf gun, light saber, book, Legos, or a Wii remote in his hands.  Needless to say he's a very busy boy.

Change in Perspective

Bottle feeding is more labor intensive than breastfeeding.   It's been quite a shock to a formula feeding novice like myself how much more work is involved.  With all the cleaning, scrubbing, soaking, and sanitizing I found myself annoyed every time I found another dirty bottle sitting beside the sink (as if it magically appeared there).  That is- until a few days ago when the bottles disappeared off the counter all together. 

Poor little Delia has been suffering from a nasty bug and has subsequently gone on a hunger strike (I believe it might have to do with the fact that she can't breathe through her nose... possibly).  It's scary and heartbreaking to have a sick baby and I couldn't be more ashamed of my attitude BEFORE she caught this illness.

Here's Delia in all her crusty bogies and bed- headed glory.



YES, stay-at-home-motherhood is exhausting and sometimes tedious, but I CHOSE this as my profession, career, and calling in life.  YES, my daily list of chores in never ending and boring, but how many mothers would love to stay at home and spend more time with their children?  I have been blessed with so, so, so many things in my life- it is time to stop wallowing and start celebrating!

Because this is an on-going difficulty for me I decided to do a little research on the subject and came across this amazing, beautiful, and inspired article (written before I was even born, but still written for ME):

Carol B. Olsen, "A Sense of Perspective", Ensign, June 1982, 69

I HIGHLY recommend this article be read through thoroughly, but one of my favorite quotes is:

"There is beauty to be appreciated everywhere, creative experiences to be savored, learning and thinking and growing to be enjoyed. To the degree that we understand the possibilities we gain an eternal perspective."

I'm starting my own "perspective" journal.  I'm going to fill it with articles like this, inspiring scriptures, stories, and other "beauty to be appreciated" so when my prospects seem narrow I can find strength through others' faith.



Poor, sick Hyrum



Ivy's finally feeling better!



I WISH I could say I'm not like so many of the proud, ungrateful examples I read about in the scriptures.  I WISH it didn't take a WORSE situation to realize how comfortable and blessed my life is.  I can only pray I listen to my own advice as I instruct the kids about the uselessness of whining and the peace a grateful point of view brings.



Lets all chant together:  BRING ON THE BOTTLES!!!