Random Thoughts For Your Friday

I'm pretty sure that last night is the very first night since I've been blogging regularly that I actually just completely and totally forgot to write a post. I normally write my post for the next day the evening before, and last night...just didn't even cross my mind. THAT is how you know this little mama has a lot of stuff going on in her brain.

So now it is Thursday night, and you all will be seeing this tomorrow morning. Hopefully by that point I will have woken up from an amazing night of restful sleep and I will be bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to start my day (what IS that saying, anyway?). This week has been a bit...challenging? I hate to even call it that because nothing difficult has happened at all, but still...I'm tired, y'all!

Not only are we trying to sell the house, which means we have to be out of the house several hours a day for showings, but I've also started a new freelancing gig that is requiring several hours a week. All great stuff, but add that to a baby who is currently cutting FOUR teeth and not sleeping great, plus trying to find something to do with said baby and a crazy dog for hours a day when you have to be out of your house....it's a lot!

But life is great and grand and I'm happy as can be. I'm loving the freelance stuff that I'm doing...it's so nice to have a "job" of sorts again. I've done a few little things off and on since starting my life as a SAHM, but this seems like it may be pretty consistent work. I hate to admit this, but I feel a little more fulfilled when I'm working. Don't get me wrong, I adore Grayson more than anything on this entire planet, and I wouldn't give up staying home with him for anything, ever. But it can leave me feeling a little...uninspired? Unappreciated? It's nice to use my brain and to meet deadlines and have something I have to do, other than change diapers and sing silly songs and play all day. All things I love (minus the diapers), but still...I'm sure you get it.

This could turn into one of those posts about women staying home vs. women working, and what that means and which is best and blah blah blah. But it won't, because I just don't care. I think women make the choice that is right for them, and that's great. I'm learning that I need a little more on my plate than just being mommy to make me feel good and happy and satisfied, and that's fine. Some women don't. Some women need a thriving career and 50 hour work weeks. I'm good with all of it.

I have no idea how I went off on that little tangent in what was supposed to be a quick "Hey, I'm still here, hope you have a great weekend!" post. But that's how my brain is running these days. Nonstop and all over the place and who knows what you're gonna get. Keeps things interesting!

But now, I actually do want to say I hope you have a super fabulous amazing weekend. Grayson has been throwing up tonight, which is always scary, but he's sleeping soundly now and I hope that means it's over and done with and we aren't looking at something that will linger over the next few days. I'm hoping that our weekend includes someone putting an offer on our house, us finding the perfect house, and some fun thrown in there somewhere.

Now for your weekly dose of cuteness. For those of you who aren't following me on Instagram (if you aren't, do it!), here are my favorite pics from the week. I must say my family seemed extra adorable this week, but I might be a bit biased ;)

Happy Friday, friends!

Please Remember

There are so many things that happen every day with Grayson, so many magical little moments where I stop and think "Man, I hope I never forget this". He's so adorable right now, with his crazy little developing personality, and he's so much fun. I've been trying so desperately to soak up each and every minute with this kid, because he will never be this precious little 8 month old boy again.

I'm already finding myself trying to remember things from when he was just a teensy baby, and I feel like I've forgotten so much. It seems foreign to remember his teeny, tiny body, how I used to be able to hold him in just the crook of one arm. How I would rock him back and forth all night, and he was light as a feather. When he was trying so desperately to figure out how to use his hands, and he would try to grasp something and go right past it, every time. His first little baby smiles, his first little giggle. It all seems so far away, and it was such a short time ago.

I love this age right now. I adore the boy he's becoming. I love his sweet baby hugs, how he holds me so tight until his little arms shake, like he can't stand the thought of letting me go. His big, open mouth kisses that soak my entire cheek. How he pulls back a few inches from my face after a big kiss on the mouth and scrunches up his nose and smiles that silly little smile. The feel of his breathe on my neck when he falls asleep in my arms. How he plays with my hair while I walk back and forth across the bedroom each night until he falls asleep. The sweet little giggle/shriek that he makes when he sees Addie. How his face lights up whenever I walk into the room. The way he dances, side to side, in perfect rhythm to the music. The precious smile he gives me when I surprise him with a "peekaboo!". How he holds my hand in the car when he's trying to fall asleep. How proud he looks when he does something new, like pulling up on the table or holding my hands and walking across the crib for me to pick him up. When he first wakes up from a nap and puts his little head on my shoulder like he can't handle facing the world just yet. That first sleepy grin he gives me when he's finally awake. How he bounces so hard when he gets excited that I'm afraid he'll bang his chin on the crib or table or whatever he's holding onto. His sweet, serious little face when he's concentrating on something. When he learns something new that totally delights him, like dropping and picking up his pacifier, over and over, like it's the most fun he's ever had. Hearing his sweet baby moans and groans during his sleep. When he starts crawling really fast to get to Addie or a toy and grunts with every movement from the effort it takes. The sweet moments we share when he's nursing. The hilarious sour face he makes anytime he tries a new food or drink. How he whispers "dah dah dah dah" first thing in the morning, like he's trying not to wake us up quite yet.

I could go on and on and on. I am obsessed with him, I really am. He's the sweetest thing in the world and I just want to eat him up. Every single moment with this baby is the biggest blessing I could ever hope for, and I am so beyond thankful that I get to be his mama. I always knew I would love my child...but I had no idea what I was in for. All I can think is, "Please remember this...please remember this!". I pray that I always will.

We've Got a Stage 5 Clinger

You guys...I jinxed myself. From the minute I found out G was going to be a boy, I started saying I was going to turn him into the biggest mama's boy ever. Umm. Mission accomplished.

This kid. I ADORE him. I love him more than life itself. He is precious and sweet and hilarious and beautiful, and I am so glad I get to spend all day every day with him. But OMG. He wants to be on top of me 24/7. ON TOP of me. Not near me or beside me. On me. And not even just sitting on my lap. Most of the time he wants to be facing me, arms around my neck, smushing his face into me. It is adorable. It is so incredibly sweet. My heart wants to burst with how much I love him and how happy I am that he loves his mama. 

But mama's tired, y'all.

About 90% of the time, I literally can't walk out of the room without it resulting in tears. He's started doing his baby babble thing where it sounds like "mama", so I walk three feet away from him and it's instantly "mamamamama" with tears. Or a panicked "ahhh!". Like, "woman, where are you going?!? Why would you leave me here all alone?!?". It is unreal.

I'm not gonna lie, at first it just made my heart swell a little bit when he started it. It's nice to feel loved and needed, yeah? Everyone feels that way. And I love this little baby oh so much that it felt good to know that the love was mutual. Even still, it doesn't really bother me. But I'm sure not getting much done these days. And OH, my aching back. He's not a petite baby...hauling around nearly 20 pounds all day every day is quite a workout.

I'm hopeful that this is just a stage. At least to this extreme. Of course I want him to want me around and to snuggle up and hug me and give me wet baby kisses all the time. But I would like to be able to run to the bathroom without him freaking out.

But honestly...I'm not complaining. It's nice to be loved by the most precious baby in the world. I'll take the exhaustion and the sore back and the not-getting-anything-done. I'm sure this time will pass all too soon, so I'm gonna soak it up while I can.

Starting Solids

Our experience with introducing solids into Grayson's diet has been a bit different than how I pictured it. He has always loved to eat, and about a month ago he started showing a lot of interest in our foods when we would eat in front of him. I just assumed that the transition to solids would be an easy one for us. While it hasn't been a bad experience in any way, it's certainly been different than what I expected.

Since G is breastfed, I've known all along that I wanted to wait until six months to introduce anything at all other than breast milk. From all of the research that I've done, and also discussing things with his pediatrician, I learned that breastfed babies have no need for anything other than breast milk until at least six months of age. You can read more about why that is here, if you're interested. A lot of what I've read even suggests that "food before one is just for fun", but since he was showing interest I decided we would start at six months.

I debated between doing Baby Led Weaning and the more traditional approach of feeding him purees I would make at home. After much research I decided that the homemade puree approach was right for us. I received a Baby Bullet as a shower gift, so a few days before his official six month birthday I started making food for him. I love the idea of making his food here at home so I know exactly what he'll be eating. The fact that a jar of bananas you buy at the store can sit on the shelf for several years before going bad makes me feel as if it's just not the freshest, or healthiest, thing in the world. Take a look at this super informative article regarding the truth about jarred baby food. It's pretty shocking. Another great thing about using the Baby Bullet is that it literally takes me about 10 minutes from start to finish to make several days worth of food for him. So the convenience issue isn't really a factor. Just as quick to whip up a batch as it is to run to the store for pre-made stuff.

So, once I knew he and I both were ready, Arsen and I sat him down in his brand new highchair, put on a bib, and brought out the food. Now...I will say we started with a food we probably shouldn't have. I read a lot about it, and I'm following the suggested first foods that come in my Baby Bullet booklet. There are about 7-9 foods they suggest starting with, so I picked what we had on hand for his first serving. Unfortunately that just so happened to be bananas. Basically everything I've read suggests not starting with anything sweet, because obviously they're going to prefer the sweet foods over veggies, so it may be a little more difficult to get them to try other things later. But, it's what we had, so we just went with it.

And they were a hit! He loved the bananas, and it was so cute seeing him eat them up. We started with a very small serving, only a few spoonfuls, and then we fed him the same thing for another few days, just once a day. I did notice a difference in his bowel movements, and his breathe didn't have that sweet baby smell anymore, which was heartbreaking for me for some odd reason. But he seemed to handle the transition pretty easily.

Well, we got a little too excited too fast. Since then, he hasn't been a fan of anything we've tried really. Avocado, sweet peas, zucchini, pears...nope, not having it. He literally will take a bite, make a horrible face, and then gag. Or spit it out. Sometimes gag and spit it out. He hasn't eaten more than a couple of bites of anything at all. I even gave him bananas again, and he wasn't near as excited. Just a few bites then he was done. We did try apples a few nights ago, and he ate those much better than anything else. But I tasted it and it tasted like applesauce, so of course he liked it.

I read somewhere that you should try a food ten times before deciding that they really don't like it, so that's my plan. I don't force anything on him. If he refuses to open his mouth after a couple of tries, then I dump the food and we're done. One big thing I learned was to portion out just a tiny bit in a bowl, because once you put a dirty spoon in the food it has to be thrown out. So I keep most of the food in the jar and just dish out as much as I think he will take. Which he usually doesn't :)

So! That has been our experience with solids. He's a big, healthy boy, and I know he doesn't technically "need" the food, so I'm not too concerned. He still does wake up once or twice a night for a feeding, and the pediatrician said eating solids a couple of hours before bedtime can cut down on that, but again, not really something I'm concerned about at the moment. I plan on breastfeeding for at least a year, so I'm hoping the introduction of solids won't really affect my supply, and at this rate it definitely won't. I'm kind of taking the approach that he'll eat his fruits and veggies when he's ready, and he'll wean himself when he's ready for that as well. I mean, I don't think I have it in me to be one of those women who's breastfeeding a four year old or anything, and tandem nursing seems complicated, so hopefully by the time baby #2 makes their appearance he'll have made the decision to stop.

Anybody out there have any tips or tricks that maybe I haven't thought of? More than anything I think it is a fun experience for all of us, and I love food so much I'm ready for him to experience some yummy things along with me.