We've got some busy weeks up ahead.

Anyonw who knows Cody knows he is moving constantly It reminds me of when I was a little girl and my Grandma told me she'd give me a dollar if I could sit still for one whole minute (I never earned myself a dollar if that tells you anything). He just can't settle until everything is just so. The house is causing this need to constantly be on the move to increase by leaps and bounds. We've spent the past 2 days in the house. And Cody wants to do 5 things, at the same time, full throttle. He wants to go, go, go, go, go. I think he's going to be that way until we are settled into the house. Which, with the painting and small projects ahead of us could mean he'll be this way for a few months.

Luckily Sophia is doing well with spending her days (or a large part of them) in the (empty for now) house. She has a jumperoo over there, some toys and a couple of blankets. She's happy as can be to just watch the madness go on around her. Last night she even slept for 10 hours straight before waking up to eat! She was SO tired!

As for me, it's a little stressful. Mostly knowing that this week I'm taking on painting the kitchen with out anyone to help if Sophia needs a paci, or if she needs to eat, or whatever. So I think something that should only take me a few hours today and tomorrow may take a tad longer than that!

I have been toting the camera and video camera over to the new house. Sophia is up on her hands and knee's now y'all! She stays up for half a minute maybe and then gets excited and falls. But I know that at this point it really is ANY DAY NOW. So I don't want to be caught with out any way to capture the moment. Let's just hope I don't break my neck jumping off the chair to grab the camera to get it on film...or...errrr...memory card.

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WE ARE HOME OWNERS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow is a big day for the Chandlers

We are closing on our house tomorrow!!!

This means that things here are about to get REALLY busy. We don't move in until the middle of next week, but we will probably be with out internet for a couple weeks or so after we actually have everything moved (so probably after the 26th). If you haven't checked out the blog that we set up for pictures of the house and updates as we make it OURS you can check it out here.

I am going to *try* to send out change of address cards sometime in March, but anyone who knows me knows that I'm not so good at that sort of thing (I made birth announcements and I have the photo cards for Christmas all made up, but I never printed and sent any of them out! I really need to work on that!!)

Anyhow. Go check out the blog so you can all spy on our new house! (There is also a link at the top of this blog that will take you there if you want to check on things in the future!)

Wordless Wednesday

*I didn't resize the image, so it's cut in half. But I don't really want to mess with it. So this week, this is what you get. ha ha

Great great great recipe!

I (like so many others) am a huge fan of Pioneer Woman. (if you haven't heard of her, go and look around, just don't forget to read her love story!!)

Anyhow, I recently (last night) made a recipe that she posted a week or so ago. She has tons of great recipes on her website, but this one I decided I really HAD TO TRY.

First, let me say it was SO EASY! And the actual cooking time wasn't that long (Which is good since I don't start cooking dinner until about 7). There are some things I'll do differently next time I make it.

I'd add more tomato's to it. And more onion. But really, that's about it. It was amazing all on it's own. In fact now that I'm writing this I wish that I had some to eat. Or at least the sauce...oh the sauce. Oh yummy sauce.

Anyhow, you have to try it! (You do have to marinate it overnight. So plan ahead!)

Here's the recipe. Now go, and eat (and don't be thrown off by the name "butter chicken", the only butter you use is when you cook the onions!)

Butter Chicken

A little more about Sophia's weight and food.

I was trying to quickly update yesterday but really wanted to write in more detail about her weight and formula and solids.

Sophia has almost always had a larger appetite than average. At just a couple days old she was eating 3oz every two-three hours. At three months she was taking in close to 50 oz a day. Actually some days she WAS taking in that much. It's not a normal (or very healthy) amount of formula for a baby. It's A LOT of water, which is actually the main concern with that much a day. The pedi calmed my nerves reassuring me that once we started solids she would not eat so much. And to an extent this was true, but it just wasn't that simple.

At 4 months we introduced solids. Sophia was so happy! At first we only did solids once a day, in the morning. Shortly after that we increased to twice a day. A funny thing happened. When we did solids once a day, she dropped a bottle, actually a bottle and a half. But when we increased to two feedings...she went back UP! WHAT?! That makes no sense. She was getting MORE food.

For the past few weeks we have only been giving Sophia one feeding, roughly 2 oz. in the morning. Her formula intake DID go down, to 35 oz (5 seven oz bottles!). Still more than the average 6 month old. But at least it was consistent.

During the begining of starting solids she did lose about a pound or two. Seems crazy to WANT this to happen, but Sophia had a lot of water weight. She was still above average in size (always coming in above the 100th percentile), so it wasn't like she was losing vital weight. We have noticed that her 6-9 month clothing has lasted longer than any other size so far, so starting solids when we did was the right thing for us, with out a doubt!

Recently I have been concerned that, now at 6 months, she should be eating solids twice a day. But I have been hesitant because of the previous experience of it causing an increase in her formula intake (I know, the math and the logic...they dont add up. I can't explain it!)

I brought this all up to the pedi we saw yesterday (Mrs. Emily is out on maternity leave, so we had a new dr yesterday!). I explained what had be going on, his explanation made total sense, it takes more water to process solids. She needed more liquid to digest her food. Our game plan now is solids twice a day. Two feedings, each 2-3 oz. Roughly 3-4 oz of watered down juice a day. And then we'll track her formula intake and see what's happening. If it increases with this new plan I'll have to call and bring her back in.

We are ok with Sophia's size, her weight is proportional with her length, so it's not unhealthy, it's just big. She's a happy and healthy little girl, which is all that really matters. We just want to make sure that she stays that way!

Happy Valentines Day! (A day late!)

Sorry this is a day late. We were busy enjoying our little cupid (Aka Sophia).

Update from Sophia's 6 month Dr Appt!

Sophia at 6 Months

She's still our big pun'kin! She now weighs in officially at 21 pounds 5 oz, and she's almost 28 inches long. She's proportional, but still above the 100th percentile for both.

We discussed her eating, and our plan is to up her solids. 2-3 oz a feeding, 2 times a day. Hopefully this won't cause a strange increase in her formula intake like it did last time we were feeding her solids twice a day.

That's about as eventful as the appointment went. Sophia is doing great otherwise!

All you need is love.

I am watching Sophia nap. She's on the floor, and after playing with her paci, talking to herself, and being an entertainment for me...she's now sleeping. And I wonder, what will she think about me when she's older.

It's a question that for 6 years I've given thought to. What sort of effect do we have on our children? What words do I want them to draw on when they are scared, lonely, tired, frustrated or just in need of wisdom when I am not able to give it to them?

I am far from a perfect mother. I do my best, as we all do (or we all should at least), but that doesn't mean we make the perfect decisions. So what do I want to pass on?

I guess that's what I want to pass on. That I have made, and will continue to make the best decisions I can at the time. With only the current knowledge I have at the time. Always keeping in mind that the choices I make today may not seem like the best choices 10 years from now.

But I have faith that decisions made from love are the right ones. Even if they aren't RIGHT, they are right. People know, your child knows.

And I guess that's those are the words that I want my children to have. When they are adolescents getting picked on in school, or teenagers going through the drama of teenage life, when they are lonely, tired, hurt, sad, frustrated...or a different once of the million emotions. I want them to know they are loved. Loved. That I love them.

Because in the darkest moments, that's what matters. Not being alone in the world. Being Loved.

I write letters. Some people post the letters they write online for everyone to see. But for years I've written letters. Some are for things I've done. Things I may do. Things I think. Things I feel. Things I want them to kn ow about me. The way that I feel about things. There are a lot of letters. I just hope that they express how much love I have.

Wordless* Wednesday

*not totally wordless!

I traded one bad habit for another.

We've pretty much eliminated the swing from our day. I think it was the best thing we've done.

She seems HAPPIER.

But there is a downside. I end up holding her for all of her naps.

She will eventually fall asleep on her blanket, or in the crib...but its after grunting. And fussing. And so I pick her up. It's just easier. Faster even. But then I have to be quiet and stationary. This means NOTHING gets done.

The painters I was supposed to call? Didnt get it done.
The pedi appointment I was supposed to confirm? Didn't do it.
The packing I meant to do? Not done.

All the rest of her awake time we play. We sing. We read. We talk.

All that grown up stuff?? Not done. But we haven't used the swing.

New Layout

I'd like to give a huge thanks to my new secret squirrel friend, who made my pretty header.

If you follow any of my friend blogs you'll notice new layouts popping up all over the place.



Making the internets prettier...one blog at a time. Ha ha.-

Life Saver

I've meant to make a list, of the things that we couldn't have survived with out with Sophia. And since we're nearing her SIX MONTH birthday, I wanted to make that list now. Times are a'changin' around here, and I've already packed away so much!

This is what I like to call a life saver!

SwaddleMe's

Ohhhh Maggie!

Advent Paci's

Legwarmers are ALL the rage!

BabyLegs (I make my own)

Her first friend!

Glow Worm

Keeping her close to the heart.

Moby Wrap (I made mine!)

These things kept me from pulling my hair out. From losing my mind. From getting too many gray hairs!!

Permission.

I recently read this post (by recently I do mean, just now).

It's about having permission to, basically, not be a perfect mother. There are a lot of expectations of SAHM's, many of which we all put on ourselves. To make the bed in the morning (every morning), to have dinner ready in the evening (every evening). To do all the laundry, all the housework, all the childcare. Why? Because it's our "job".

On top of that there's the responsibility to always be teaching our child. I don't know if everyone feels this way, but I know that I always feel like Sophia should be learning. How to sit. How to crawl. What all the parts of her body are called. Baby sign. Everyone's name. {BTW I have failed, she thinks her own name is Pun'kin. She doesn't even respond to her actual name!}

How in the world am I supposed to do all of it? The days that my household responsibilities are all done I realize that I haven't played with Sophia enough. That she either spent too much time rolling around in a blanket and not being talked to, or read to, or sang to. Or that she was in her jumperoo too much, again with out the talking, reading and singing. It's my *job* to do it all.

But I've slowly started to give myself permission to not do it *all* every.single.day. I am slowly getting ok with the idea that the bed may not get made until 6pm (or, to the horror of some, it may not get made at all). I don't even start worrying about dinner until Sophia is in bed. I try to do one load of laundry a day (TRY people...I said TRY), the rest waits until I have an extra set of arms around (AKA Cody) to help me balance.

Once I started allowing myself to not feel SO MUCH PRESSURE, I was a little happier. I was a lot less stressed. Which means Sophia is happier. Which means Cody is happier. You see how this works? We are all a little happier.

Do I still feel pressure to do more? Yes. I think there's a guilt that comes along with being a parent, with being a mom. You can never be exactly the sort of Mom you dreamed about being. There's always some part of the dream you have to get realistic with. There's a point where you have to give yourself permission to not be perfect.

"Follow Me Friday"

Unconditional Love

According to Wikipedia "Unconditional love is a term that means to love someone regardless of one's actions or beliefs."

It means no matter what a person does, your love to them will be never ending. It doesn't come with terms, rules, or obviously conditions.

The love that have for my children is unconditional. And I think back to my own life, and realize that there are people that should have expressed unconditional love, and were unable. Because of their own shortcomings, baggage, or issues.

What sort of love do you have for your child?

Now that you've answered that for yourself. How are you showing your child that? How are you preparing yourself for the test of your unconditional love?

“The greatest gift a parent can give a child is unconditional love. As a child
wanders and strays, finding his bearings, he needs a sense of absolute love from
a parent. There’s nothing wrong with tough love, as long as the love is
unconditional.” ~ George Herbert Walker Bush

Wordless Wednesday

Thing 1 and Thing 2

What an eventful day at the Chandler Casa. First of all, Operation Phase out Swing is going splendidly! She hasn't hung out in the swing once today. She's taken three naps on the floor. Two of which she put herself to sleep. She slightly fusses (and I think it's because of Thing 2 that I'll get to shortly), and seconds later she's sleeping. She's actually been sleeping through her second solid meal of the day. But that's ok. I'm not pushing solids on a schedule. The one serving already cuts out a bottle. And I have figured out that she needs roughly 35 oz to sleep well at night (she still wakes up once to eat, which that's calculated in the 35 oz). If she misses a bottle she's up 3 or more times at night. So I feel like her getting what she needs from her bottles is just as important (if not more important) than her solids. So we do solids in the morning, and if we get to do dinner...then good. If not...no biggie.

And right now, when she would be eating solids, she's sleeping. She looks like an angel when she sleeps. She looks like an angel all the time, but usually the active, full of energy, want-to-snatch-your-glasses sort of angel. When she sleeps she is so peaceful. Heart.Melt.


Alright the next thing for today, besides the swingless day we've had so far, is she is making crawling progress. A few weeks ago I told my friend Brandi that I wasn't really thinking we were all that close. Her son had started crawling quickly one day. All of a sudden he was mobile. At the time Sophia was showing no signs of wanting to move in the forward direction (or in the backwards direction for that matter). She was ok with rolling left and right. But last week I realized she wasn't as content with that. She makes noise when toys are in a direction she can't get to. She was frustrated. And it's usually out of frustration that we push ourselves to do more, to be more. She wants to do more, she wants to crawl. She wants to be a crawler. I could do with her not actually mastering this for a month. One month to move into our house. I'd prefer to baby proof all at once, as I'm unpacking. Not attempt to do it here and shortly redo it all in a new home. Plus moving with a mobile baby--challenging to say the least.

I know you want to be bombarded with pictures.
*I am trying something new with the pictures. You'll have to let me know if you like it or want me to go back to the old way!

**Figuring this out was a mess. I may have some gray hair now. Geez oh pete! Now lets just hope it looks like what I want it to look like when I hit "publish"

The Swing is soon to go.

Sophia has become attached to her swing. Looking back, I should have limited the time that she was in the swing more. But it was the only place she would nap not in my arms. It was the only thing she wanted to do right after eating (again, besides being held). This all means that trying to get her to spend less time in the swing is quite a challenge. She loves her swing. She loves the mobile, the toys, all of it.

I need to get her to fall asleep for naps somewhere other than her swing. And while I personally love cuddling with her during naps, it's quite unrealistic. Especially with the big move coming (less than a month!). For the most part she's good at putting herself to sleep at night. We usually play the paci game for 30 minutes (ok in the middle of the night, this can go on for an hour), but she doesn't feed to sleep, or need to be held/rocked to sleep when it's time for bed. Napping is a much different story. And I'm not sure why it is.

So today is day 1 of trying to phase out the swing. I'd like to reduce swing time to just an hour a day. I'd also like to have her nap alone for most of her naps. I don't really have any good idea of how to make this happen. She isn't interested in being in her jumperoo more, or play on the floor more. She is interested in being held more. She's such a Mommy's Girl!!

So any helpful suggestions on how to phase out the swing are more than welcome!!

Her in her swing...in what seems like a lifetime ago:

August 25th, 2009.

We're trying it.

A sippy cup that is. I was originally planning on skipping the sippy cup. Go to the strawed cups. And have one less thing to have to wean her off of in the future. However, Mrs. Emily (our pedi) suggested that we introduce water to Sophia's diet at 6 months. Sophia is starting to slow down on her rapid weight gain, and I'm thinking we're finally reaching the platue of her weight (she's still growing, and I imagine towards the end of the month we'll be taking a trip to Carters for some new clothes in the next size (and she'll need 2 piece pj's in 12-18 months, her current 9-12 month 2 piece pj's are SKIN TIGHT!).

Back to the sippy cup. We talked it over again at her last appointment and decided we'd start with watered down apple juice. But we didn't want to start her on a habit of having that taste come out of a bottle. It would just always cause her to associate juice and water from a bottle. And we want her to learn to use a cup instead. We got her a sippy cup with handles, and all. And she is SO CONFUSED. She can hold on to it, it of course goes to her mouth like everything else. But that's abotu where the adventure of the sippy cup is ending.

We are in no rush. She'll figure it out. And I can imagine the first time she gets something out of it...her face will be priceless!