Magazine Monday

I LOVE the suggestions I'm putting in today's blog for behavior--quite possibly because I'm praying that Bennett won't be as stubborn as I was a child (and still am!).  Once again, these are all compliments of Parents magazine--November 2011 and Parenting--February 2012

Behavior Problems (We probably definitely will have them, so why not start preparing???)

1. Dawdling in the morning.  Oh God, all I can think of is waiting on someone to take me to school because I was always early and no one else ever was!  (What the heck happened to m?  Now "early" means only 5 minutes after I said I'd be there!)
1. If said child doesn't want to brush their teeth--sit and hang out with them.  They'll be so surprised they'll actually do it!
2. Take said child to school late and make them tell the attendance lady/teacher WHY they're late! (helps teach them responsibility)
3. Rule where they can only do something like watch TV in the morning IF something else is already done (morning chore, backpack by door/in car, lunch packed, etc.)
4. Use commands you've seen their teacher use with their class that are successful
2. Getting everything done in the morning.
1. Visual chart of the steps they need to take in order to be ready to leave.  (Sad to say I actually have post-its on my bathroom mirror reminding me of things!)

Kid's Ideas

1. Decorate baked goods with medicine droppers.  I already have about 5 of these from gripe water/Tylenol....easy to find and use!
2. Meal-Time:  read a book and make a meal to go with it.  The one I loved was the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs idea:  mashed potato clouds, meatballs, and broccoli for trees!
3. Biscuit bowls for dinner--push biscuit down into muffin tin to make bowls and cook like normal.  Then add a filling (bbq, omelet-type foods, chili, etc.)  Even fun for the grown-ups!

On Lying to Kids...

1. It's ok when...you're telling them about the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, and Santa!
2. It's still ok when...they're not ready for the truth about strong subjects
3. It's definitely ok to tell a little white lie when....the Tooth Fairy "gets to rest one night a week and that's why they didn't show up last night"....when in reality mommy/daddy forgot!  (Umm...oops!)

I Want to Remember...

1. Do NOT help Bennett cheat!  It frustrates me to no end as a teacher, and I want to make sure I don't do it with my children.  If I help him cheat, then he learns that it's okay--and it's definitely NOT.  Here's what I mean by "helping" him cheat:
1. taking over his project for a class
2. doing his homework instead of helping him understand it
3. fudging a reading log (hello???  Reading teacher here....THAT won't happen!)
4. typing his HW for him
5. dictating answers to him instead of the reverse

Ab Workout

1. Lower Tummy--Reverse Crunch--20 reps
2. Love Handles (Hmmm....I must LOVE a lot of something to have these!)--Oblique Bends with weights--20 reps per side
3. Core--Plank--Four reps of 30 seconds each

Bennett--6 Months (Feb 7-Mar 6)

6 Months!!!

Happy 1/2 birthday to you!!!

This is the month that you've changed the most!  You literally did something new almost every other day, and I just hope that I got it all written down on the calendar!  This month Gram and Papa were here to keep you during the week while they visited.  You went to daycare only once a week the entire month--yeah for a little savings!

You are absolutely, pure fun!  You always flirt with others and every time we go somewhere we constantly hear what a smiley, happy baby you are--and you are!  We are so fortunate that God blessed us with you!

A little blurry, but it captures him perfectly!  Happy Bennett (in daddy's old outfit!).

Stats

• You weigh about 20 pounds and are about 27 inches long (we haven't measured...sorry we're lame parents!)
• No Dr. visits this month---yippee!!!!!  That means you are healthy (with the exception of the lovely cough that won't go away--you use an inhaler for that!)
• Diapers--Size 3 still
• Clothing--mainly 6-9 month, depending again on the size. 

Eating
Well, you eat like a champ (and everyone who asks how old you are, also asks how much you weighed at birth after I tell them.  Kind of frustrating, but you're such a cute chubs that it's all worth it!)!

• Bottles--You still get 5-6 bottles a day (depending on when you wake up/your hunger), and they're all about 5 ounces.  You're now starting to hold the bottle a little bit if it's not full--AKA too heavy!
• Cereal--twice a day--still oatmeal/oatmeal with banana
• Foods--I finally got around to making it and you love whatever you're given (with an exception or 2 that took a few days!)  You LOVE avocado, sweet potato, squash, pears, applesauce, and banana!  You like carrots (especially when I mix them with pears or apples), and you tolerate peas.  Your peas face is the best, because although you practically seem to gag, you open wide for the next bite!
• You've now officially moved to the space saver high chair--thank goodness that dang Bumbo is gone!  You were about a week away from 7 months when I gave it back to Gram, and your thighs couldn't have squished in much longer!

• So, um...you gonna move me from the Bumbo now???  I'm about to slide out!



Thank goodness I got a new dinner seat!  My old one was getting cramped!



B's 6 month photo shoot!  One of the out-takes!

Growth
Whoa again this month!  Can't get it written down fast enough!  Thank goodness daddy and I talk about what you do because it helps jog my memory!

• Bibs are a constant due to your drool!  You've soaked more outfits than Shamu does at his show, but you're happy when you do it, so we're just constantly making sure we have bibs/towels wherever we/you go!
• Teething--you got your 1st tooth---and then your 2nd two weeks later!  The first one sprouted up the week you turned 6 months--what a milestone!

Drool?  Check!  Red cheeks?  Check!  Teething???  Yep!



Teething tablets!  Best invention ever...especially if they'd work this way!

• Traveling--you're getting to be such a great little traveler with us!  We just make sure we have lots of what you like/need, and usually we're good to go!  You had your first hotel stay this month!
  

Have I graduated to the "big kid's seat" yet???  (Ummm...nope!)

• Rolling over--you've FINALLY made it both ways!  Took a little practice, but once you started doing it, you haven't stopped!  This has helped night-time sleep tremendously and we're so thankful for it!
• Sleep--You're now sleeping around 10-12 hours a night (depending on the night).  Daddy and I love watching you sleep and move around!
• Your favorite trick that you learned at the end of Month 6 was to sit and lunge yourself forward!  Our "laying you on the bed" days are numbered!
• You started "scootching" right at the end of Month 6 as well.  It was more like swimming, but you did move an inch or two, so we counted it!
• We're trying to help you with the next step--crawling...so we practice being on all 4s a lot!
• You're loving books--more chewing than looking/listening--but I'll take it!
• You are thoroughly now enteracting with your toys, which makes playtime SO much fun--both for you and for us to watch you!  You entertain yourself for at least 30 minutes, which is helping me get back into a cooking routine and get some other things done too!  Yeah!
• You now recognize your name most of the time (except the times you want to ignore us, I mean!).
• You hold your arms up to let us know you're either ready to be picked up or you're done with whatever you're doing!
• Peek-a-boo is hilarious to you--and you screech when we come at you like we're going to tickle you!
• You're more amazed by the dogs now.  You actually want them to touch/lick you and you look for them when you hear them--although their quick feet on the floor still make you spaz out if you're not ready!



What?  You're waiting on me to roll over?  I'll think about it!



Uh-oh...we're about to hit a new milestone!

Guess this means we're done with the swing???

And.....we're off to Month 7!

Just Call Me Betty

Crocker that is!  For some reason I got it in my head that I wanted to make Bennett's baby food.  This is probably somewhat due to society and it being the "in" thing to do nowadays, but also because of the absolutely REVOLTING smell of baby food!  AND the fact that I'm hoping when it gets time for him to eat what we're eating, he'll do just that.  Eat what we're eating.  I can dream, right?

After saying for a month that I was going to do it, I finally did it and just mushed up some avocado.  Easy.  But not making.  Then came sweet potatoes. THAT was easy!  After that was the 6 month checkup where the doc gave me a list and I've improvised since then.  I actually love making B's food now and it's fun to see what I can smush together once it got to a point where he's tried quite a few fruits/veggies.

Here's the tally:
Avocado---DELISH!
Sweet Potato--MORE please!
Carrots--hmmmm....took me a few tries, but tasty!
Squash---heck yeah!  (I just did regular yellow...not butternut)
Pears---oh boy! (mommy and daddy say yuck though!)
Apples (natural applesauce.  I'm all for a little shortcut!)---LOVE!!
Bananas---lip smacking good!
Peas---the jury's still out.  He'll eat them, but squinches his eyes and wiggles to get it down!)

The best part about making his baby food is that I didn't go out and buy the expensive equipment to do it.  This is the most use my food processor has gotten since we got it as a wedding present 3 years ago!  Mom bought me some silicone ice cube trays.  Add in some ziplocs and you're good to go!  Here's the process in action:



Here's what I've found:

1 bag of frozen peas = 9 cubes = 9 oz

1 bag of carrots = 9 cubes = 9 oz

2 yellow squash = 5/6 cubes = 5-6 oz

3 pears = 10 cubes = 10 oz

I mash avocado and banana and use natural applesauce, so those 3 I don't "make". 

Freeze the ice cube trays.  Pop them out when frozen.  Stick them in a ziploc that's labeled with the food/date, and use what you need when you need it.  The carrots and peas are a little dry, so they get breastmilk or mixed with a fruit!  I

f you've ever made baby food, what is a good combination of foods you made?  Bennett just ate carrots and pears mixed together for lunch and even though I wouldn't touch it, he wolfed it down!

Bennett's Baby Dedication

Baby Dedicating is a Baptist thing.  Totally new to me you know, since I just became one and all!  I grew up being christened/baptized as an infant and thought that's what I'd do with my children.  Until Jeff and I found a church we liked.  That is Baptist.  And they don't do that!  So.....I had to change--which we all know I don't like to do!  But, I do want to raise Bennett in the church, so I was willing to start making some changes!
We were one of 35 families that were participating in Baby Dedication at our church that day--whoa!  It all went smoothly though and was great!  My parents and Jeff's mom/Bill came up along with cousin Maddy, so it was a family affair!  We didn't get any pictures of the actual Baby Dedication, nor did we go back after the 3rd service to get pictures with the pastor.  I wanted to, but knew that if we were one of 35 families who wanted pics with the pastor then it was going to be a long day--and it was already a lot for an almost 7 month old!


Our church has classes parents must attend and at the "Milestone 1" class they said it would be a nice tradition to make sure to celebrate each milestone with your child in a special way.  We agreed.  And then forgot about it!  Until 2 days before.  BUT...we at least remembered! We wanted to give Bennett something special for his dedication day and this is what we decided to do:

At the dedication service, they tell you what your child's name means.  Bennett William means "Blessed by God".  Could we have chosen anything more beautiful for our child than that? 


Here are a few family pics after the service:

It's rough being the center of attention all day!  Tuckered out!

Daycation to Galveston/Moody Gardens

Jeff hinted at a beach trip since the weather was so nice the last week of February/beginning of March, so we headed down to Galveston and Moody Gardens. 


We'd talked of going to Moody Gardens many times and had both been before we met, but never together.  What an absolutely perfect day!  We got there before lunchtime, so it wasn't too crowded yet, which was nice.  We only toured the rainforest pyramid, but that was enough to let us know proper stroller etiquette for later on with Bennett. (Hint:  if your kids are having issues, don't block the entire path with your stroller, your 3 kids, you, and your hubby!  Just sayin'!)  It was amazing how Bennett immediately had difficulty breathing when we entered the pyramid due to its humidity.  (Reason #109 why we now have an allergist appointment!)  He was somewhat interested in the monkeys, butterflies, birds, etc., but more interested in the fact that he was in his new stroller seat instead of his car seat!  He was a champ with all that we did that day though!

Next we hit Galveston Seawall to try and figure out lunch/beach/naps/etc.  Since there was so much parking along the seawall, we decided to just grab a sandwich/chips from Kroger and park/eat so we could enjoy the breeze before making more plans!  Took a quick stroll down one of the jettys (sp?), and decided to put up our little tent so we could relax/take naps/read/etc.  Perfect ending to the day!  And don't call CPS on us:  we took the pic of B as we were getting ready to get out of the parked car that WAS NOT even turned on after we ate our lunch (parked the entire time!)!  Everyone deserves a minute to stretch when they get out of the car seat, right???  He got a "buckled in" stretch!

It's getting easier to travel and do things with B.  I don't know if it's because he's adapting, or we just becoming better at predicting/knowing what we'll need and how he'll do, but we're really enjoying life right now!  I love my little family and can't wait for more family trips!

I {Heart} My Men!

Don't care for Valentine's Day.  Haven't for a while.  Ridiculous to spend so much money on flowers, candy, etc. just on one day whe I want candy EVERY day—not just one!  Luckily, the dear hubby o’ mine also thinks the same way, so we’ve never done anything except say “Oh, this can count as our V-day dinner!” Works for us!

For some strange reason, this year, we both did something for each other—without even saying it! Due to my new traveling schedule, I was able to run home to meet him for lunch yesterday. I was planning on nuking a bowl of soup and scarfing it down. Little did I know, he’d been planning our lunch date for a few days! I got home, was escorted to the patio, which was set up fine dining style (AKA plastic) with the mecca:  Chic-Fil-A!  I even had a gift in my chair and balloons!

That’s as far as I’ll go on this one, but we had the best lunch date I think we’ve ever had! It only lasted about 15 minutes due to my schedule, and yes, we did scarf it all down, but because we NEVER take the time to do things like this, it made it that much more special! We chatted as we inhaled the food and laughed the entire time.  Perfect. Date. 

My husband is truly the best and our lives are so busy now with the baby and his classes starting back up. I can’t wait for our next lunch date—I hope it involves a plastic tablecloth (or even grass!) and sweet tea from the mecca!

Here’s a picture ode to my other Valentine: the younger man in my life!