Savannah One Year!!

I know I am way behind on this post since Savannah is now almost 14 months, but I am still in denial that she is one year old!!

Loves: Her Froggy, being tickled, going on walks, being tossed in the air, being chased, Peek-A-Boo, being at the Lakehouse, the puppies, my parent's cat Simba, Mommy and Daddy

Eating: She continued to have 4 bottles a day throughout this month. At her one year checkup the pediatrician recommended weaning her from the bottle by 15 months. We are working on it, but currently Savannah will drink water and juice from a cup, but not milk! So we will see how it goes. She is eating much better, although she still does not like vegetables. She still loves fruit, and she also loves rice and will eat it by the handful.

Sleeping: She still takes a morning nap from around 10-11:30, and 3:00-4:30. She then goes to bed at around 8:00pm and sleeps until 7:30 am.

Clothes: She wears 12 month and 18 month clothes. She wears a Size 4 diaper.

Fun Facts: Savannah's 1st Birthday Party was on September 14th. We had so much fun!! It was a zoo-princess themed party. She did enjoy her cake, but she was pretty timid about eating it at first and we had to help her get started. She was pretty dainty in opening her gifts and would just tear one small piece at a time. It was pretty cute.

Firsts: As I am writing this Savannah now has 10 teeth, but at the 1 year mark she still had 8 teeth, but was working on her bottom molars. She started shaking her head yes this month. She still likes to say "Woah", but also says "mama" and "dada". She always says "dada" when she hears cars outside because she knows we hear Daddy's car when he gets home from work. She will let go of things often and stand on her own, but she is not interested in taking steps on her own yet. She still likes to crawl, and cruise around while holding onto things. She is pretty cautious, so even though she has great balance, she is nervous to take that first step. 

And now some pictures of Month 12!!

 Nana and I took Savannah to the zoo on her actual birthday!

 She had so much fun!

 Being silly with Daddy!

 Playing with Gramma and Aunt B!

 I can't believe how fast time flew!

 Opening gifts!

 Cake time!

 Yummy!

 Messy!

 Watching TV with Gramps!

Savannah Month 11

Loves: Watching boats at the Lakehouse, BabyFirst TV channel, dancing to music, her Froggy, puppies of any kind, books, when anyone chases her while she crawls

Eating: She still has four bottles each day at 7, 11, 4, and bedtime. She usually eats egg, waffles, and blueberries for breakfast. For lunch and dinner she loves avocado and any kind of fruit. She will eat chicken, lunch meat, cheese, and seems to like ground meats like hamburger or ground turkey. We hit a rough patch at the end of this month where she got pretty picky and only really wanted to eat fruit, but she seems to be coming out of that now.

Sleeping: Sleep is still the same. She still sleeps from around 8 pm- 7:30 am, with a morning nap from 9:30-11 and an afternoon nap from 2:30-4:00 No complaints here!

Clothes: She wears 12 month clothes now, but is ready to move to 12-18 month clothes. She is now in Size 4 diapers during the day and at night.

Fun Facts: Savannah still loves boats. We went to the lakehouse again this month and she gets so excited every time a boat drives by. She also loves to bob up and down when she hears music and it is pretty cute to watch! Her favorite word is "Woahhhhh", and she says that about pretty much everything.

Firsts: She has 8 teeth now. She started clapping and waving this month. She started out waving with two hands, and now waves with just one hand. Travis and Megan babysat her for the first time this month. Gramps and Gramma stayed at our house for the weekend while we went out of town and watched her for the whole weekend for the first time. She started cruising around on everything. She also used her walker for the first time, although she prefers to crawl and doesn't use it for very long. 

And now some pictures of Month 11!!

 Boat ride!

 Savannah and Aunt Megan!

 Savannah and Uncle Trav!

 Fun with Gramps!

 Relaxing with Gramma!

 Lisa came for a visit!

 Trying out her walker

Big girl is 11 months old!

Savannah Month 10

Loves: Her Froggy that she sleeps with at night, her activity table, looking at pictures, cups with straws, the puppies, listening to Toddler Radio on Pandora, cruising on furniture, Baby Einstein videos and many more!

Eating: She still has four bottles each day at 7, 11, 4, and bedtime. She usually eats egg, waffles, and blueberries for breakfast. For lunch and dinner she loves avocado and any kind of fruit. She will eat chicken, lunch meat, cheese, and seems to like ground meats like hamburger or ground turkey. She is a pretty good eater, but fruits are definitely her favorite food. She is obsessed with blueberries!

Sleeping: Sleep is still the same. She still sleeps from around 8 pm- 7:30 am, with a morning nap from 9:30-11 and an afternoon nap from 2-3:30 No complaints here!

Clothes: She wears a mixture of 6-9 and 9-12 month clothes still. She is now still in 12 month pajamas. She still wears Size 3 diapers, and Size 4 night time diapers.

Fun Facts: Savannah went to the lakehouse for July 4th and we discovered that she loves watching the boats! Her moth opens wide and she bets excited every time they go by! She also loves Smoothie King. She had a few sips of mine twice this month and she is crazy about it. She got so mad when I took it away!! She now gets excited every time she sees a straw cup because she thinks its Smoothie King!

Firsts: She has 7 teeth now! She also started pointing at everything this month! She loves to point. When you ask her where the fan is she can point to it, and she can point to the puppies and to Brian and I. She pulled up on the glider in her room for the first time! She also celebrated her first July 4th holiday! She went on a boat ride for the first time at the Lakehouse!

Now for some pictures of Month 10!

 Miss Independent celebrating July 4th!

 Our family!

 Savannah's first boat ride!

 Happy baby!!

 Pointing at the camera!

Savannah Month 9

Loves: Still loves being tickled and being outside, whether we are on a walk or swinging at the park, she loves her pacifier, and loves all dogs. She got in the pool for the first time this month and she is a water baby for sure!! She could spend every day in the pool and that would be fine with her!

Eating: She has a bottle at 7, 11, 3, and then right before bedtime at around 7:30.She still eats 3 meals of baby food a day. She is getting much better with solid foods. I usually feed her some solids with every meal. She has tried watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, pears, strawberries, peaches, green beans, ground turkey, corn, peas, and I am sure I am missing some! Her favorites seem to be watermelon and pears. She definitely prefers fruit over vegetables. 

Sleeping: Sleep is still the same. She still sleeps from around 8 pm- 7:30 am, with a morning nap from 9:30-11 and an afternoon nap from 1:30-3. No complaints here!

Clothes: She wears a mixture of 6-9 and 9-12 month clothes. She is now in only 12 month pajamas. She still wears Size 3 diapers, and Size 4 night time diapers.

Fun Facts: Savannah is a ham for the camera. She loves it! Every time we take pictures she makes the cutest little scrunched up face. She loves to crawl to the kitchen gate we have set up and talk to the puppies while they are in the kitchen. We have a couple of family pictures hanging in our stairwell. Every time we go up or down the stairs we stop and look at them. She will talk to them and wave her arms at them. It is too funny.

Mommy Moments: It is funny how when you are a parent, you are SO proud of every new thing your baby does! I get so excited when she figures out how to work a toy, or waves at pictures, or holds herself up on things. I have also noticed that since Savannah has started eating more of the food on our plates, I am much more conscious of what we eat! We are eating healthier now that we know she will soon be eating what we eat!

Firsts: She started crawling on all fours this month! She has gotten very good at it, and she is quite fast! One of her top teeth broke through the gums so she now has 3 teeth! She also got in the pool for the first time, and we did so much swimming this month. She can easily stand while holding onto things, and can pull herself up on a few things if they are low to the ground (not furniture yet).

Now for some pictures of Month 9!

 Water baby!

 Family time at the pool

 

She loves to splash!

 Sticking her tongue out at me at the grocery store. Goofy

 Park time!

 Cheese face!

 Smiling for Daddy!

 Woohoo!! I am 9 months old!

20th Century Parent

I had a conversation with a good friend earlier about the kind of parents we want to be. She doesn't have kids yet, but we share similar views on raising children. It prompted me to write a post about the kind of parent I hope/strive to be. I was born in 1989, meaning I spent most of my formative/childhood years in the 20th century. I think my parents did a wonderful job, and while no parent is ever perfect, they came pretty close. They raised 3 children, all of whom graduated college and are now married and leading successful adult lives. This is definitely no accident, and they worked very hard to raise us to be successful people.

It seems to me that a shift in parenting philosophies occurred as we moved into the 21st century. As a former teacher I witnessed this first hand. It seems that many 21st century parents have been bombarded with fears of hurting their children's emotions, wanting to be their friends, and worrying that their children will not like them if they discipline too harshly. Many parents I observed in teaching seemed to always think their children were right, and felt that their children were innocent until proven guilty. My parents did not share these views. They had a few important parenting views that contributed greatly into shaping my brothers and I into the people we are today, and I hope to take these things and put them into practice with my own family.

1. Guilty until proven innocent. Our teachers/authority figures were always right. There were a few rare times when the authority figures were truly wrong, and my parents acknowledged these, but it definitely took effort on our part to prove it. 

2. If we acted up in public, we left. Period, the end. If we threw a tantrum at the store, the mall, a restaurant, anywhere, my parents grabbed us and took us straight home. We were expected to behave, not bribed to do so. And if we didn't, it was sianara to whatever fun activity was happening that day.

3. Parent first, Friend second. Sure my parents wanted to be our friends, and they enjoyed the moments when they were considered our friends during our formative years. And now, as adults we are all GREAT friends. But they were always parents first. If we yelled that they were "ruining" our lives as we stomped up the stairs, they smiled and said "okay, you'll thank me someday." If we told them we hated them in teenage angst, they didn't worry. They knew we would be over it by the time the sun came up. They knew that taking a few years of not being our friends, but being our parents, meant we would be successful, responsible people one day.

4. The battle you should ALWAYS win as a parent is their peer group. My Dad gives this advice to any young parents and it's great advice. They picked their battles,and they certainly never fought all of them. But they always monitored our friends. Because those are the people that have the biggest influence on children as they grow. They never hesitated to call the parents ahead of time to make sure they were home before we went to any party. They flat out refused to let us hang out with certain people. They never gave this fight up. And they won. And we are all better for it.

I know I will make mistakes as a parent. I expect it. But I want to be a 20th century parent. I want to never be afraid of disciplining my children, even if they tell me I am "ruining" their lives through a tear stained face. I am forever grateful to my parents for NOT letting me do all of the things I wanted to do, for allowing me to "hate" them for the day, for fighting the battles to the end that needed to be fought, and for loving us unconditionally.

So even though this little face is as cute as can be, and even though I would walk through fire for her, I pray that I will always remember to be a parent first, tell her "no", and give her the boundaries she desperately needs to grow up to be a successful and respectful member of society. And one day we will be the best of friends, and one day she will thank me for saying "no". Mommy loves you so much Savannah!

Yummy AND Healthy!!

I wanted to share a recipe I found on Pinterest that was tasty and healthy! My husband is pretty picky about "healthy" food and we are really trying to eat healthier, so I have been on the hunt for recipes that he likes that are also healthy. This one was a hit and the hubby actually said he was a fan (a big feat around my house!) Savannah even enjoyed eating some of the ground turkey which shocked me, because she is VERY picky about solid foods! So without further ado, here it is!

Skinny Turkey Burger Casserole

April 2nd, 2013

   

This is another great recipe that I adapted from Skinny Kitchen to make even healthier!  This is a great replacement for the boxed meal ‘helpers’ that are full of so much “gunk”! Enjoy!

Print

Skinny Turkey Burger Casserole

Yield: 6 servings

Serving size: 1.5

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (6 oz) uncooked whole wheat or whole grain pasta
• ½ pound extra lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup onions, chopped
• 1 jar container light Alfredo sauce
• ½ cup fat-free cottage cheese
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• Fresh black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Spray 2½ -quart casserole with nonstick cooking spray
2. Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain.
3. In large nonstick skillet, brown ground turkey and drain
4. Stir in the fresh garlic and cook for about a minute
5. In the meantime, add the zucchini and onions to a microwave safe plate. Cook in microwave for about 4 minutes, or until soft.
6. Add to skillet of browned meat.
7. Stir in cooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, cottage cheese, tomato and a little pepper.
8. Mix well. Spoon mixture into sprayed casserole.
9. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top of casserole.
10. Bake uncovered at 350 degreesF for 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese is melted.

Nutrition Info and Tips

Amount Per Serving (approx. 1.5 cups):
Calories: 256
Fat: 8g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Fiber: 1g
Protein: 20g
Sugars: 2g
Weight Watchers Points: 6pts

"Oh, look at that hair!"

As a background to this story, I have board straight hair and had almost no hair until I turned one. My husband has very curly hair and was born with a full head of hair. So I was curious throughout my pregnancy of what Savannah's hair would be like. Would she have any? Would it be curly, straight, thick, thin? Well, Miss Savannah was born with quite a bit of hair, not as much as my husband had, but certainly more than I had. So far it has stayed straight, although it seems to be thick. 

Well anyway, when she was around 5-6 months her hair really started growing. And the more it grew, the more it stuck straight up!!! As her hair has continued to grow, it has continued to stick up, and I swear it is even starting to curve backwards! I certainly think it is quite adorable, and it makes me feel like a celebrity any time I take her out. I get at least one comment about her hair any time we go anywhere! People think it is so funny/cute! This doesn't bother me in the least and I enjoy hearing all the comments people have about it. 

That being said, if I ever do want to get hair to stay down to put a bow on the side of it, how on earth would I go about doing that without making it look weird? Any Mommas out there who have babies with hair like hers? What did/do you do?  Without further ado, here are some pictures of "that hair!"

 Just starting to stick up, the faux hawk look

 Really getting up there now!

 Blowing in the breeze

 Post-pool hair

 Sticking up in the back, practicing her crawling!

Savannah Month Eight

Loves: Still loves being tickled and being outside, whether we are on a walk or swinging at the park, she loves her pacifier, and loves all dogs. She also loves when Daddy comes home!

Eating: She has a bottle at 7, 11, 3, and then right before bedtime at around 7:30.She still eats 3 meals of baby food a day, along with Puffs and Yogurt Melts for snacks. She is still not a fan of solid foods. She will eat pieces of banana, and rice. She just doesn't like the texture of most solid foods.

Sleeping: She is still doing great with her sleep (knock on wood!) She goes to sleep around 7:45 and wakes up at around 7:15. She rarely wakes up in the middle of the night now. She takes a morning and an afternoon nap. The morning nap is from around 9:30 to 11, and the afternoon nap is around 1:30-3.

Clothes: She is wearing some 6-9 and 6-12 month clothes and Size 3 diapers. Some of her 6-9 month clothes are already too small, so we will have to move up to 9-12 month soon! She is getting so big!!

Fun Facts: Savannah loves puppies. She likes to "talk" (scream/yell) at them anytime she sees them. Her hair sticks STRAIGHT UP all the time. It is too funny. Everywhere we go, someone says something about her hair. My Dad always says we need to put some "product" on it. He has even tried slicking it down with water, but it immediately starts sticking up again.

Mommy Moments:Savannah used to nap on me all the time. Now she only does if she wakes up early from a nap and is still sleepy, but even this is rare. I was lucky to get a couple of nap sessions in this month, but I am cherishing each time because I know it will soon be gone. I love watching her experience something for the first time, like she did with swinging in a baby swing this month. It is so neat to see things through her eyes.

Firsts: She swung in her first baby swing, went to her first wedding (my cousin Jared and his new wife Brittany), traveled to Mississippi for the wedding, perfected army crawling, and stayed the weekend at Pops and Nana's for her first time away from me and Brian.

Now for some pictures of Month 8!

 This girl looks just like her Daddy!

 My sweet angel baby

 Playing with Gramps!

 Little lady!

 See what I mean about the hair?? Haha!

 Loving on Pops!

 Close-up!

 Reading with Gramma!

 First time in a swing. Bliss!

 First wedding!

 Such a big girl!!! Mommy loves you so much Savannah!

Savannah Month 7

Loves: Being tickled, her stuffed monkey, going on walks, watching her Animal Safari movie on car trips, all fruits, her piano, when Mommy or Daddy laugh

Eating: She has a bottle at 7, 11, 3, and then right before bedtime at around 7:30.We added a breakfast meal this month, so she eats fruit and cereal at 8:30, lunch which is a fruit and veggie mix at around 12:30, and a meat dinner at around 6. She is pretty picky and at dinner her favorite thing to eat is Gerber Apples and Chicken. We have tried feeding her some little pieces of things we eat and she has gagged on pretty much all of it! She just doesn't like the texture. The only thing she has liked so far is cooked potatoes and bananas. She does like Puffs and Yogurt melts for snacks.

Sleeping: She is doing great with her sleep (knock on wood!) She goes to sleep around 7:45 and wakes up at around 7:15. She rarely wakes up in the middle of the night now. She takes a morning and an afternoon nap. The morning nap is from around 9:30 to 11, and the afternoon nap is around 1:30-3.

Clothes: She is wearing some 3-6 month clothes and some 6-9 month clothes. She is wearing Size 3 diapers.

Fun Facts: Savannah got her first two bottom teeth! They actually came in at the same time! She also started saying "Dada" this month. She is very dainty and cautious. We have noticed that if she sees something new, she will study it for awhile before she actually tries to grab it. When she does grab it she does it very slowly. It's like she thinks it will bite her!

Mommy Moments: I am loving watching her personality grow. She is very particular about her likes and dislikes which is fun to watch. She is a happy little lady and she just lights up when she sees me or her Daddy.

Firsts: She too her first pictures with Bluebonnets. She didn't like them very much, but we got a few good ones! She also met the Easter Bunny and celebrated her first Easter. She rode in her stroller like a big girl, and we transitioned her to a big girl car seat as well. She attended her first crawfish boil, and of course got her first two teeth!

Now for some pictures of Month 7!

 Meeting the Easter Bunny. Not so sure about him...

 Riding in style!

 You can just barely see her teeth here!

 First Easter!

 Bluebonnets!

 First crawfish boil! Obviously I am not a crawfish fan haha

 7 months old!