Tiny tot bites

Stella's appetite is so hot and cold lately. One day she can eat us out of house and home and the next she has no interest in food once so ever- just give me the milk! On those no appetite days especially, I find myself trying a variety of things to see if they just might be the winner! Fingers crossed- the last two days she has been eating like momma's little piggy :) She also has days where she rather feed herself and is not into the purees and other days where she would rather be fed from a spoon. No matter what meal she is having, I always offer something on her tray so she can pick it up and feed herself. She has really mastered that skill using her pointer finger and thumb- always with the right hand. There are times she will only want what is on my plate. Tricky Momma sometimes puts Stella's food on my plate to look like mine, and there are other times I will just share my meal with her. The other night we made homemade pizza- she devoured my pizza! It was a plain tomato pie- no cheese- with fresh basil! That was after she ate her own dinner which was one ounce of each- chicken breast, roasted red pepper, zucchini, and sweet potato. That seems to be her most favorite combo lately! I sometimes forget that her tummy is so tiny and that it doesn't take much to fill it up. Here are just some other meals that we have been eating lately....

breakfast: a slice of whole grain toast spread with mashed avocado and mashed banana

breakfast: a slice of whole grain toast with a very thin layer of no sugar added jam and diced mango

Sometimes I cut her toast into toast strips instead of small pieces

breakfast: egg-less whole wheat french toast with strawberry cottage cheese and diced strawberries

Lunch: I usually have a whole wheat panini with avocado and she usually wants my sandy, so I toast her up a slice of whole wheat bread with avocado, and a side of cottage cheese with mashed strawberries

Lunch- cottage cheese pureed with frozen blueberries. Oh my is this good. I am guilty for eating some of her lunch on these days. It is like a frozen dessert. I usually serve this with diced turkey breast or diced avocado. 

Dinner: I made Rick and I fettuccine with an alfredo sauce and peas, except the sauce was made of cauliflower not cheese and milk. Since it was mainly veggies I threw some of our pasta in the food processor for Stella- she LOVED it.

So those were just a few of what this little tot has been eating! She is and I hope always will be a fruit fanatic- just like me! 

Tuesday's story

Today was one of those days that makes being a Momma fun. Minus the meltdown at lunch and literally getting shit on by a bird. We spent the day home, going from pool to swing, back to pool, blew bubbles, tried to eat the bubbles and catch the bubbles, shared snacks on the deck, napped and went back in the pool. These are the kinds of things I have always dreamed of doing with a little one.

 I filled Stella's pool nice and early so the hot sun would warm it up a bit for her and set out towels and sunscreen on the table. After our morning breakfast, morning play session and morning nap we both, yes both, suited up. This casper looking body of mine can afford a few sun rays. Before heading outside Stella chuggalugged her bottle as I brought a few more things outside. I finally set Stella in the pool, I took out my phone and got ready to take her picture....that is when it happened. Nasty bird shit ran down my hair, slid down my sunglasses and landed on my phone. Absolutely-effing disgusting. thank you a-hole bird.  I wasn't prepared for that. I hope you are ready for a photo overload...here is our Tuesday story told in pictures....

It was such a fun special day.  She was pooped to say the least and was in bed sleeping by 7:30 after Rick gave her a bath and had her evening milk fix. Tomorrow is another day :)

You are the closest i will ever come to magic....

Felt like Summer

Yesterday felt like Summer to me. Not just because of the hot weather either. I had full intentions of filling up Stella's baby pool but time got away from us. Between our Monday morning food shopping trip (which she is making so enjoyable for me these days), to our trip into Clinton with Aunt Nikki for coffee-Stella skipped the coffee and had a tiny squirt of sugar free/non dairy pomegranate raspberry sorbet- and a short walk, Stella's naps and preparing and eating dinner, there was just no time. That doesn't mean Daddy didn't let her play with the hose water a bit after he was done watering the plants. The frigid water temps don't seem to bother her. Stella reminded me of my little self at the end of a hot Summer day. Skin left tacky from sweat and sunscreen, hair tousled from everything and anything, sunscreen and hose water in Stella's case, just plain tired from being outside. I remember the crisp cold bed sheets always felt so good after coming in on a hot hot day.

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On another note... an iced caramel macchiato is the perfect drink on a hot Summer day. 

I am trying to come to terms that this little gal will be 9 months next week. Where the hell has the time gone? Time never ever seemed to go so fast until my days were filled with the best thing in the world. 

A few random things

Friday was miserable out. But, it was Friday after all. Thank goodness. Momma was getting cabin fever from this week. Our walks were few and far in between, and our errands were usually cut short because of the nasty weather. I have been on an orange kick lately, and so has Stella. I love me a good ole' juicy orange cut into slices and so does Stella. She gets her hands down and sticky, picks one slice up, licks it, and throws it down for Momma to finish. She picks up another slice, licks it and throws it down for Momma to eat. So I get to enjoy the sloppy seconds..yum!

I get a real kick out of how she helps herself to her snacks these days. elieve it or not, she usually takes one at a time and eats it before taking another...

We also lit a few sparklers on Friday afternoon...

Weekend mornings are the best. When I hear Stella playing her crib, Rick goes up to get her and we have some play time in the bed just the three of us before breakfast. We keep the same few toys in our bedroom for mornings like this, and each morning when we take them out it's like they are brand new all over again; it's great! 

Saturday afternoon we took Stella for frozen yogurt...get in my belly cinnamon bun and  graham cracker! 

Stella's appetite has been for shit lately. She rather the milk than her solid meals. One day she loves chicken and potato and the next it's as good as garbage. One day she digs strawberries and yogurt and the next Ellie is lapping it up off the floor. Want to know what was on Stella's dinner menu tonight (which is not what I prepared for her) black olives and white cannellini beans. Go figure! She ate them like they were going out of style. Tomorrow she probably won't even give black olives the time of day. Tiny tots and their damn taste buds! 

We went for a evening walk tonight into town. It was after dinner and before Stella's usual bath time. The walk seemed to work a little magic for us....after she got cozy in her jammies, and chugged her milk, she soothed herself to right sleep with no glider action from Rick or I. Hallelujah- there is a God! 

Our walk was a blast tonight...walking home with these two, my cheeks hurt so much from smiling and laughing. I am so lucky and blessed. I have such a great team and love them dearly. 

Want a little video action of Stella and her puzzle? Click here.

Cheers to a Sunday Funday tomorrow and Rick's first official Father's Day! :)