Watch me grow...10 months...

Double digits...oh heavens...

{ Week 40 }

You are a mover and a shaker my little lady. You have realized how to pull up to a stand and you do it all the time. You thankfully have not figured out how to do it in your crib just yet { unless we put you in there sitting up in the first place } You are starting to be a little shy around people again. You had two episodes this week where you cried and needed comforting which has not been the usual with you. You are loving playing in your jolly jumper these days and you will do giant jumps before we can get you strapped in. You also really like playing with your rubber blocks and your sorting toy.  You are very vocal as well these days and we are wondering what your next word will be. You saw your first baby geese this week and you were pretty interested in them. You were not able to get close in your stroller though so you wanted to keep walking soon after.You are still working on your tooth and  we can tell it bothers you because you are always chewing on something or making a silly face we call the "tooth face". You wear your teething necklace all the time now and it seems to help quite a bit.You celebrated your first Mother's Day this week. It was just you and Mom because Dad had to work and I think it was perhaps one of the more challenging days we have had in a while. You did not want to sit quietly in church at all and I decided to take you out and go with the Sunday school instead. You seemed to enjoy it but we ended up having to leave church early anyways because you were not cooperating. You enjoyed playing with Grandma after though and seemed to be back to your old self after a good long afternoon nap.

What's new this week
~ You have really discovered your voice and you like to be very loud
~ You are pulling up to a stand more and more. You like to do it on people mostly right now but I am sure furniture is not far off
~ You are learning to pass your toys to us when we ask you for them. You usually pass them right to us but then take them back.
~ You are mimicking more and more these days and you have started to pretend to get food out of your bowl with your spoon. Your sippy cup use is still a bit of an adventure but you are getting the hang of it.
~ Made your first Sunday school craft

{ Week 41 }

You have been a grump this week but we now have two tiny little sharp teeth to show for it { and maybe a third on the way } You must not be feeling your best because you are very quick tempered and you have been having some major trouble with your naps. We are hoping they stop bothering you soon and you are back to your cheerful self. You said "Dada" this week and your Dad couldn't be more thrilled about it. You are also saying something that sounds alot like Ga this week and we wonder if you are trying to say Grandma or Grandpa.On your first May long weekend, you went flower shopping for the first time and your Grandpa likes to buy you things. This time you got a flower sun catcher and a wind chime. That night Grandma had to put you to bed because Mom and Dad went to a wedding.  This was the first time that Mom and Dad were not home at bedtime. You did really well and Grandma was thrilled that you even gave her some cuddles before bed. You really have taken a liking to the Canada geese on our walks and get very excited when they come close and honk at you. You do however get very sad when they go out of view.

What's new this week

~ You can sit up from lying down on your own now
~ You have two teeth!

~ You said "Dada" { May 16th }

{ Week 42 }

This week brought two more visits to the Doctor. You have a very red eye and you are still not acting like yourself. The doctor thinks you have allergies and with all the trees that have come out in the past few days we can believe it! You have been very active on the tooth adventure this week and you just got your third one! This time it is one the top! Thank goodness this one doesn't seem to be bothering you like the first two did. You discovered your teething necklace and want to chew on it so you are unable to wear it anymore. You went back to swimming this week and you were very concerned with looking at all the other kids doing their thing rather then actually swimming. Either way you were still very well behaved and you had fun. You have recently started sharing everything with us and passing us food and toys more and more. You even pick up imaginary things off the floor and pass them to us. Your favourite person right now is Grandma and you shriek with delight when you see her. You favourite things to do with her are reading a book, playing with your stacking toys and inspecting her necklaces or zippers. You went out for dinner withe Mom and Grandma this week for the first time in a while and you were back to your well behaved self. You loved watching us eat and enjoyed looking around the room at everyone that was there.

What's new this week
~ Tooth number three!
~ First sick trip to our doctor, you were very well behaved!
~ You now weight 23 lbs and 13 oz. This explains why Mom and Dad are so tired out after holding you.
~ You do not like the texture of blueberries and spit them out. This is the first food you don't like.

{ Week 43 }

Well we started off this week with yet another tooth! That is tooth number four this month and the second one on the top! You are as active and energetic as ever this week and you are into everything now. I feel like there is going to have to be some serious baby proofing around the house shortly. You are a very fast crawler and will go right at whatever you have set your mind on having. You like to pretend to pick  invisible things up and pretend to eat them these days and you even pretend to chew. You love to do this at your Grandma and Grandpas house the most. You also will pretend to pick things off of people. I have no idea where you learned this! You favorite things to do is still look at your book but you have a habit now of pulling to hard on things and ripping them. You tear flaps out and pass them to Mommy all the time now. There has been a lot of book first aid because of it around here. You are back to sleeping well for the most part but for the first time in almost 8 months you woke up the other day during the night and started to cry. You did eventually go back to sleep but we don't know if you had a nightmare or it was your teeth that were bothering you. The next night you were back to normal though.  You still like being held in your carrier and Mom and you have been going to Tim Horton's every morning with you in it. You like to peak at people out of the side and sometimes give Mom a hug while we walk.

What's new this week

~ Playing strange with people you don't know well, especially men.

~ Tooth number four
~ You are now crawling  more and more like a big girl. It is hard for you to do at our house because of the floors, so you slide on your belly to get around sometimes.
~ first time pulling up in the playpen

{ Week 44 }

 You went swimming at your friend Aidan's Grandmas this week and you loved being able to kick in the floaty. You are one independent little girl. You are getting stronger and stronger everyday and spend more and more time pulling and standing up. You pulled up on the couch at Grandma and Grandpa's house all by yourself for the first time this week as well. You love talking on the phone and you give a little squeal of excitement when it rings. This joy is only matched when you hear Micheal Buble on the radio. You love the song "it's a beautiful day" . Your wave is back and you love playing peek a boo! You are still playing strange and you  are a Mommies girl this week. You even have given me a few cuddles during the day which I think are wonderful! You attended your first birthday party and even thought you stuck close to Mom and Dad, we think you had fun. The party was a country theme and you were the cutest little cowgirl we have ever seen! You had boots, a cowboy hat and of course a personalized outfit. On Sunday, you were a big hit at church with your bonnet on and you surprised everyone, even Mommy a little when you walked all the way up to the alter with her only holding onto her hands. You have all the motions down for walking, now we are just working on your balance. You are getting to be a really fast crawler now and you head for things you are not supposed to get every time you think we are not watching. You especially like pulling books off of the bookshelf. You are such a joy to be around this week and you love to laugh especially at your music table at Grandma and Grandpa's house. You went on your first mini road trip to Chatham with Grandma, Grandpa and Mom this week and you had fun looking at flowers, shopping for toys and eating lunch at a new restaurant. You were so tired out from all the action that you slept most of the way home. Thank goodness for your thumb being there for you!

What's new this week
~ First birthday party you attended
~ First time pulling up on furniture
~ First time walking all the way to the alter holding mom's hands at church
~ First mini road trip to Chatham

MommiesFirst Box - Month Two

If you have been reading my blog for a little while, you know that I am very very excited when I find subscription boxes that I can receive here in Canada. So you can only imagine how excited I was when I discovered a subscription box that is geared a towards Moms and their little ones that was not only able to be shipped to me here but was also a Canadian company! -  For the American Mommies out there, you can order it too!

A little history:

MommiesFirst boxes were created by a Mom for Moms. They pride themselves on picking out personalized items for your little one and you - throughout your pregnancy and your child's first year. Their goal is help make this amazing and very busy time in our lives "a little easier and a lot less stressful". In each box, you will receive 4 to 5 customized items, exclusive coupons to MommiesFirst and information cards about the products included. {I love the information cards because they give me so much info without having to do extra research!}

There are a variety of ways to purchase these boxes. Shipping is always free!

$30 for 1 month
$90 for 3 months
$150 for 6 months { you get a month free ! }
$300 for 12 months { you get 2  months for free! }
You can also order gift subscriptions and special shower boxes!

See the MommiesFirst website for full details

The thing I personally like most about MommiesFirst is their incredibly good customer service.  They really do care about what you think. In each box, they include a personalized note for you as a Mom and after I was not absolutely thrilled last month ( you can read about that here ), they contacted me by email to apologize and even included a little hand written note about it in the my box this month. Now that is one amazing company!

This month, I received the "Healthy Habits" box and I absolutely love it! Perfect timing for my little girl with her first cold!

My little monkey checking out the box when it arrived yesterday.

What I received in my box this month:

Boogie Wipes Original Fresh Scent 30 Count Pack - I actually picked a package of these up last week when I saw them appear in photos from other Mom's MommiesFirst boxes. I wanted to give them a try with my little one because she had developed her first runny nose. They are so gentle that they kept Norah's nose from getting red and irritated even though I was wiping it all the time. These are now on my must have list for the diaper bag! 

Thera Wise VpR Natural Vaporizing Rub - After listening to my poor little girl sniff in her crib last night before falling asleep, I found myself wondering when you could use vapour rub on babies. Then this natural vapour rub arrived in my box and it is okay to use on the soles of the feet { with socks } and on the small of the back. I will give this a try soon and report back!

Mom's Kisses Natural Arnica Spray for Kids - This is the product that made me decide to sign up for the MommiesFirst box in the first place! I was so intrigued by the idea of it and now we have some for our own to try! I think this spray, that is all natural and used for bumps and bruises , will get it's own blog post in the near future.

Pampers Kandoo Brightfoam Hand Soap - I worry about what is in hand soap often, especially with Norah's sensitive skin. This hand soap is made for little ones and I look forward to teaching her to use the pump at the sink like a big girl. Oh and it smells fantastic too!

Clean Well - Natural & Alcohol Free Hand Sanitizing Wipes - I actually was just about to run out of hand and face wipes for our diaper bag, so I was happy to see these tucked into this month's box. So handy when we are out and about and not close to a washroom. I love that they are all natural and alcohol free as well.

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Facial Lotion  - Something for me? Oh you shouldn't have! But seriously, I love that this month included a little something for Mom. We spend so much time as parents caring for our little ones that we often neglect ourselves a little. It is nice to have a new product to try and I am in need of a new moisturizer as my skin has changed since I was pregnant, so this is a perfect time to try something out.

Thera Wise Crystal Animals Antibacterial Toothbrush- In the last month, Norah has gotten her first four teeth. Seriously - could a toothbrush come at a more perfect time!? I love that no toothpaste is needed with it.

         Baby tested and Mom 100% approved! 

Disclaimer: I am not being paid by MommiesFirst or by any of the makers of the above products for writing this post. All the opinions are my own. I simply wanted to share my experience with all of you!

Dining out with your little ones

My Mom likes to brag that she could take my sister and I anywhere when we were kids. When you talk to her, you would think we were the perfect children but if you delve a little deeper, you will find that she had a few tricks up her sleeve to help us be as well behaved as we were. My Mom was the master at never letting us know that there was something wrong that we could be doing but set the expectations right from the get go and stuck with them no matter what. If things get really bad, we would leave and therefore not reward the bad behaviour. Sounds simple right?

I take a lot of her tips and tricks to heart now as I raise my own little one and the one that I get asked about most often is how I manage to take Norah out to restaurants and not have her all over the place.

Norah and I out for dinner on S. Patrick's Day this year.

 I started putting my Mom's methods into practice early with Norah when it came to going out and I can now say that at this point I don't really stress about taking her places and as she is a wiggly ten month old, this is pretty shocking even for me to type! But it is possible!  { I will keep you posted on the upcoming toddler years! } Here are the top five things we did to help Norah learn how to go out and eat.

1. Choose the right kind of restaurant and don't linger -  Choose a restaurant that is generally child friendly and not somewhere where they may not have highchairs. If they don't have highchairs, you are probably going to have to be concerned the whole time about your little one needing to be as quiet as a mouse. You don't have to stick to the "amusement park" kind of restaurants but this is not the time to test out the place with the piano player and white gloved servers. Also let's be serious, this is not the time to drag on your dinner time. You can relax and eat but then it is time to go. The attention span of a little one is not that long and it is not fair to expect them to sit forever.

2. Start early -  Once they are able to sit in a high chair, it is the best time to start teaching them to do so. When you get to the restaurant you put the cover on the highchair if you are using one and into the high chair they go. No sitting on the lap or climbing on other dinner guests, even if they say they really want to hold your little one. At dinner -  we sit in our chair - and that is where they stay. Note: If you take them out and you might give in if they start to whine, they will remember and want to come out often and this will get even worse when they learn to crawl or walk. Practice the good habits now. If it gets really bad then it is time to go home and try again another day. You can practice this at home by having them sit in their high chair during dinner every night.

3. Distraction is the name of the game -  Norah loves peek a boo and to watch us eat. If she starts to get antsy even taking a pretend sip from an empty coffee cup gets her back on track. This does not however work if you give your little something off the table to distract them with because then they will be trying to climb out of the chair to get more.  Most importantly though - talk to them and include them in conversations. They will be much happier feeling like they are part of the action.

4. Bring toys/activites - Not an entire arsenal of things but something special that they do not get to see all the time.We have a soft book that we bring out just for dinners out and Norah squeals with delight whenever she sees it. We attach it with our favourite Sassy rings so it doesn't go onto the floor. When they are old enough -  crayons and paper are wonderful for a quick game of ti- tac-toe or drawing pictures.

5. Feed your little one before and bring food - As wonderful as I was in restaurants as a kid, I was not a big eater. Perhaps it was all the noise and excitement, who knows?! When my parents figured this out, they used to feed me before and then bring me something to munch on from home. That way I didn't get cranky from hunger and I had something if I did want to eat. Norah enjoys a puff or a mum mum while we eat usually and seems to really enjoy chewing along with us.  

 

Sassy Ring O' Links Rattle Developmental Toy- I can not say enough about these rings. Little Tea Cup loves to chew on them and they are handy for attaching things to car seats, strollers and highchairs so they do not fall on the ground

Itzy Ritzy Sitzy Shopping Cart and High Chair Cover, - This cover is large and stays on restauranthigh chairs well. It keeps little hands clean from germs and provides place to hook your toys onto. It also works as a shopping cart cover

Boon Baby Feeding Set Boon Squirt Fluid Cup Snack Ball.   - I love this little multi-pack. The spoon stores the food inside the tube so it is an easy and very tidy way to feed purees to a hungry little one without having to mess with a bowl. The snack ball stores puff or other finger foods easily and does not take up much room in the diaper bag. The sippy cup is easy for little hands to hold and can be hooked on easily using  the sippy cup strap on most high chair covers.

Summer Infant Tiny Diner Place Mat  - This is a recent find of mine and we just love it around here. It had little suction cups to stick it down and keep little hands from touching the edge and surface of the dining table. It is large enough to keep most finger foods on it rather then on the tablecloth. It rolls into a small roll which makes it fit easily into the diaper bag.

Crayola Doodlebugz Crayon Purse - Norah  is not old enough to use this just yet but I love the idea of this little purse. Crayons fit neatly into the front and you could tuck a little pad of paper inside. 

Do you take your little one out to eat? Share your tips and tricks with us!

Five on Friday

I love a good Friday link up and this one, which is SO simple to participate in, is perfect! Each of the four ladies who host this particular link up are amazing bloggers and are daily reads of mine so it is a win win!

One.
My new blog design! I know it has already been up for a day or two now but I am loving the simplicity of it and even though I still have a few little things to change { like all the green hanging around } I am happy every time I see it pop up on my computer screen! I purchased this design from the lovely people over at Designer Blogs! They are very professional , easy to work with and have all kinds of options for all kinds of price points. You can get a new look, that you can install yourself, for only 15 dollars! Seriously worth a visit blogging friends!

Two.
I have a church ladies picnic tomorrow afternoon and because Dave is heading out of town this weekend, the little one is spending the entire afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa. This is huge people and it is only the second time she has done this in her ten months of life! I am a little nervous but that is all just Mommy nerves because I know she is in the best care going! Here is little one before church last week! Oh how I love a bonnet!

Three.
I have been wrapping up a storm this week! Baby gifts, first year presents and even a gift for our swimming teacher! I love to give and even more so I love to wrap! I don't think I mentioned here on the blog but Norah attended her first birthday party last weekend and it was cowgirl themed! I think I may have gone a little overboard on the outfit prep but she looked so cute!  She doesn't look very happy in the photo but I assure you she had an amazing time! Her outfit was made by KMT designs & ChicSomethings on Etsy. and. Her hat/boots are from Old Navy but appear to be out of stock.

Four.
I finally ordered Norah's water table and it should be here soon! I had been trying to decide if she really needed one and finally decided that even though we didn't "need" it, it would provide lots of cooling off fun in the hot summer weather around here. Add this to the ball pit, swing and slide and we will have a backyard full of fun in no time! Favorite toy of the moment is this little ride a long. That face is pure joy people!

Five.
Tonight is pizza and wine night which is my favorite night of the week! Anyone have a good movie suggestion for us? Last week was Silver Linings Playbook which I loved!

Happy Friday Everyone!

What's for Breakfast?

I was one of those teenagers that drove their parents crazy when it came to slowing down enough to eat something. Constantly on the go, I can remember my Mom even cutting up my apple for me in hopes that if they were in easy to eat pieces, I might get around to eating them.

I didn't improve very much as an adult when it came to eating regular meals until I moved in with my husband. He likes to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at a set time every day and rarely misses a meal {without getting grumpy anyways}. I finally started to make a little time to sit down and eat and not surprisingly, I started to feel better with more food in my stomach to nourish my busy lifestyle.

In specific, breakfast became increasingly important to me when I was pregnant with Norah. I would wake up everyday starving and would need to have a good meal to get my day started. The problem was that I don't like many breakfast foods - especially cereal. I refused to eat it growing up and even though I am now much more open to trying out new kinds as an adult, until recently there were very few kinds I enjoyed eating. This dislike of breakfast foods has been even more difficult as a new Mom who needs something fast, filling and healthy to keep me moving on my busy days. I mean a person can only eat so much toast and it doesn't really do the trick!

Recently the lovely people at General Mills, sent me some new Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal  to try out. Even as a non cereal lover, I can say that this variety is really really good! I mean I ate it until the box was empty and that is pretty much a miracle! Even better is that this cereal is very healthy for you! You are actually getting 40% of your daily-recommended fibre intake in just one bowl! I found that I had energy to spare in the morning while I chased Norah around and I stayed full until lunch time without wanting a snack - another miracle.

Want to try out this delicious and healthy new cereal for yourself?

General Mills are helping everyone to try out their brand-new cereal by offering a free one-day coupon, redeemable in stores on July 16^th.  Just check out the Life Made Delicious page on Facebook so that you can get your hands on a free box! You can click on this link to check it out https://www.facebook.com/LifeMadeDelicious

“Disclosure – I am participating in the Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal blogger campaign by Mom Central Canada on behalf of General Mills. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.”