What to Expect when You were Expecting, then Ended up with a Baby and no Manual...

My bulleted list for Friday Saturday is your typical plea for mommy advice in this digital age.  It's all about baby food and reflux.  Here goes:

Background info: Myla  is almost 6 months old.  She sleeps 11-12 hours a night without waking to eat.  She eats about 5x/day.  She still goes about 3 hours except for when she takes a nap that makes the interval longer.  She NEVER eats for more than 15 minutes total.  She is a spitter and most likely has some reflux issues, but usually doesn't seem too bothered by it for the most part except for the occasional "I don't want to eat because I'm screaming" moments...

*  How do you start solids?  Do you go straight into baby food three times a day and nursing 3 or 4 times a day?  Or do you just feed them some baby food every now and then until they're older?

*  Does starting solids help with reflux? 

*  If starting food didn't help you with reflux, do you have a favorite baby reflux medicine?  (We had her on the generic Prevacid, but I know other people have favorites).

Since this was the most boring post ever, I'll leave you with some pictures I stole from my dad of the Pooper's newest tricks!

 She can read!  (Actually, she can balance for a while by herself when we sit her up).

She started getting on all fours and rocking back and forth a bit before giving up.  It's pretty funny.

Have a great Memorial Day Weekend!

It's Tuesday Again

Hey y'all, if you're unoriginal like myself and would like to participate in "Ten on Tuesday," join in!  Trust me, it's not weird at all if you have no idea who the creator is or anything.  She's not scary at all, and sometimes it's fun to answer silly questions.  Just:
   1) head over to Roots and Rings
   2) click on the "Ten on Tuesday" questions (posted sometime every Monday)
   3) answer them on your own blog
   4) Click on the Mr. Linky on Chelsea's Ten on Tuesday post.  The Mr. Linky is actually very simple and self explanatory.  It only took me about four or five posts to figure it out, so the average person should figure it out by the first or second time.


ANYWAY, questions this week by Chelsea.

1. Have you ever used Craigslist?
       I have used Craigslist twice: once for the $30 dog chair mentioned in a previous post, and once for an extra carseat and base.  It only cost me $30 as well, and it's a Graco.  Score.

2. Can you sew?
       HA!

3. Do you pour syrup on your pancakes or dip your pancakes in the syrup?
       I drizzle with syrup.  It never occurred to me to dip, but that does seem like a better way to get the perfect amount of syrup on every bite...

4. Rain storms: Love them or hate them?
       Love them.  As my bff Latane once screamed during a storm, "I LOVE WEATHER!"

5. Do you like swimming?
       I used to think I liked swimming, but I actually just like standing in the pool.  Swimming is exhausting!  Seriously, have you tried it?

6. What kind of drink do you order at Sonic?
       The strawberry limeade is my go-to drink, and every now and then I'll get a Java Chiller.  Coffee and ice cream are two of my favorite things, so it works out well.

7. Are you funny?
       One time when I was in high school, I was spending the night at a friend's house.  We went to Starbucks to hang out with one of her guy friends who was in college.  She knew college people because she was a lot cooler than I was.  We were just sitting at one of the tables talking, and the guy said to me, "Sam said you were funny.  Why aren't you being funny?"  It was awkward.

8. At what age will your kids get cell phones?
       I would like to say definitely not before high school, but you know how you always say things about how you will raise your kids then do something completely different?  I hope that doesn't happen this time, though.

9. What’s your favorite vegetable?
       zucchini or spinach

10. Were you a Girl Scout?
       No, thank goodness.  I would be obese by now.  I can barely pass those girl scouts selling cookies outside the grocery store without yelling curses at them because I can't handle temptation like that.  I can't stop thinking about tagalongs now.

Some Things on Friday

If you've ever read this blog, you know who I stole this idea from.  Duh, remember Chelsea?  I'm not really sure if this will be seven things or not, but here goes:

1)  Lately, it seems like I catch a bit of "The Today Show" every morning at my cousin's house when everyone is starting to head out the door.  I actually kind of like Matt Lauer and will probably miss Meredith next year.  Not the point.  Anyway, they were (much like everybody else) talking about the Arnold scandal.  A man onscreen was talking about if Arnold would use this as publicity for his next acting endeavors.  This man's title?  "Reputation Expert."  Really??  What does that even mean?  How would one become educated and create a career out of this so-called field?  People amaze me.

2) I cut all my hair off.  It's a little bit Ellen Degeneres in the 90's-esque.  Dave likes my hair long.  I feel as though I have given him this gift of long hair for over a year now, so he can deal with it, right?  Summers are too hot in Houston to be carting around all that hair.  Also, I can't remember the last time I even had conditioner in my shower...  Judge me now if you need to. 

3)  Dave and I joke a lot about the people we are "dating."  For example, if he's texting someone I might say, "Stop texting your girlfriend." Or I might tell him, "Call me when you're on your way home so I can tell my boyfriend to leave." I now realize that both of these examples only include me joking that way...  Anyway, is this completely weird?  Does it seem more like we are just being silly or like we don't respect the sanctity of marriage?  I really hope it's the first one.

4)  Have you ever realized one day during adulthood that you grew up calling things something that nobody else did?  For example, what everyone else called "rolley poleys" we called "doodle bugs."  And I blame my mom that we said "goosey pimples" instead of "goosebumps."  Scarred for life.

5)  I quit reading the McMama blog cold turkey a couple weeks ago.  Nothing against her, but the whole thing was a bit much with all the comment wars and such.

6)  My coffee cup just leaked on my shirt.  I always get self-conscious when something like this happens because people might think I'm lactating everywhere or something.  Also, I'm pretty sure the only people I am going to see today are two 5-month-olds so I should probably relax.

6) Dave's Grandpa passed away this week.  He was a couple weeks short of 93.  I got to meet him before Dave and I were engaged, and we still laugh about how he kissed my neck.  He was so sweet both times he got to see Myla Grace.  This last January (I think) was about the last time he was out of bed, and we were lucky enough to get a few pictures like this one:

Sweet man.  Rest in peace with Jesus, Grandpa Carl.

Ten on Tuesday

Provided by Molly at Considering Campbells.
Photo Edition:

1. Your favorite piece of furniture in your home.

 I don't really have an emotional attachment to any of our furniture.  I took a picture of this chair because it's slightly sentimental to me.  It's isn't particularly attractive or comfortable.  Why, then, do I like it you might ask?  Well, when I married Dave, it was weird because he wasn't just "starting out" on his own.  He had a fully furnished house.  The only thing besides my bed I really brought with me was this $30 chair I bought off Craig's list in college.  It was the only thing I called my own!  It has now become the "dog chair." (Notice the nice blanket covering it). 

2. Your favorite thing on your wall.

 Hey, I'm not proud. 

3. Your bed as it looks right now.

 You know how some people make the bed everyday to feel a sense of order in their lives?  Yea, we're not like those people.

4. Your pantry.

 Nothing exciting...

5. Your favorite piece of jewelry.

 I don't really consistently wear any other jewelry besides these two rings.

6. Your favorite book.

 I'm just like every other Jesus-loving person, but I wanted to include another favorite of mine-- My Sister's Keeper.

7. Your most comfortable shirt.

 I guess I tend to enjoy frumpy, burnt orange clothing.

8. Your messiest room.

 I guess this doesn't look that messy, but it's supposed to be a dining room.  It has not become a table where we put things we don't want to deal with at the moment.  Notice the dog food containers on the left side and the random booster seat our friend gave us hanging out in the far right corner.

9. Your house shoes.

 Two pairs.  Both Christmasy.  Get on board.

10. Yourself.

 I decided to make this an honest post.  I didn't put makeup on for this.  You should have stopped reading at #9!

Yesterday, I did the Unthinkable.

I made what I thought was enough coffee for both of us on a lazy Saturday morning, except that my dear, sweet husband decided to use a giant mug.

When I went back for my second cup of coffee, there was only half a cup left!

So I did the unthinkable.  I kept the last half cup in my mug.  I then proceeded to pour a little more water through the already-used grounds to fill up my cup all the way.  I re-used coffee grounds, y'all!  I have turned into my uncle. (Love you, Frank). 

The saddest part is that I don't think it's due to my being cheap.  This was an act of pure laziness.  Dave has no understanding of laziness.  I envy him.  It comes so naturally to me.

**Off-topic, but I got some "Cinnabon" coffee creamer, and it's glorious.

Losing the Food Battle

I can honestly say that I have never watched what I eat.  Growing up, I was kind of small, and gained all the college weight, but still never gave up my beloved chips and queso.

Study abroad in Spain: 12 pounds in one summer.
6 months in the Dominican Republic: about 5 pounds (?) of rice and beans. 

Then came pregnancy.  35 pounds.  My third trimester was awesome, since my doc was telling me, "Well, we wanted you to gain 25 pounds..."  Whoops!  She mentioned it would be harder getting the weight off on the other side of it.

She was right.  I literally have never eaten more than I did when I was pregnant.  To top it all off, I was student teaching with kiddos who constantly brought in doughnuts and cupcakes, and I felt the need to sample every single baked good that ever sat in the teacher's lounge.  Then I had the baby.  Yes!  25 pounds came off by themselves over a couple months or so. 

The main problem, though?  I don't know how to go back to not-pregnant eating.  My mind still thinks that an obscene amount of food is what I need to survive the day!  Since I stay at a house watching my kid and my cousin, I find myself wandering around the kitchen for snacks. all. day.  This is part of the reason I think I need to work outside the home.

Then Mother's Day arrived.  As usual, my mom sent us home with a pie.  Dave waved it in front of me.  I was already full.  I didn't need pie.  But I stood there eating it straight out of the dish.  Then this conversation took place:
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Me: Dave, I'm pregnant.
Dave:  No you're not.  You know how I know that's not true?  Because you're not crying. 
Me: Why am I eating this pie?!
Dave: Just throw it away if you don't want it.
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He's right.  I was lying.  I'm not pregnant.  And I threw away the pie.  As of yesterday, I am losing the food battle.  But today is a new day!

A Random Assortment

(This picture has nothing to do with the rest of the post).

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Recently, my friends and I had a little Glee date.  Kelly, Susan, Casey, and I all went over to Kelly's house to watch some Glee and hang out.  But alas, the episode ended and left us all wanting something more.  That something turned out to be Maggie Moo's ice cream.

We piled into Casey's car, got some ice cream, and chatted at the tables outside.  As with any gathering of more than one female, more than one conversation took place at a time.  I finished my ice cream and used Kelly's napkin to wipe my mouth while I was talking with Casey.  Then Kelly said, "You didn't hear me, but I was trying to tell you something and you were talking to Casey!"  I told her, "Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"That's not my napkin.  It was here when we got here."

Yes, folks.  I picked up a dirty, used napkin off an outdoor table and wiped my mouth with it.  It was a shining moment. 
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We are doing a baby dedication tomorrow at church with Miss Myla.  Besides making a commitment to raising her up showing her Christ's love, the other goals for the day for Myla are: don't scream, don't spit up everywhere onstage.
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Myla has been doing a fun, new trick where she has a poop blowout in her bed every single day.  I LOVE changing crib sheets. 
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All these things kept happening during the week that I thought I would blog, but I pretty much forgot them all, so I'll end with a video of Myla rolling over.  She's a bidirectional roller now.  So exciting. 

(As with all our videos, you should watch this on mute).

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Life is going on as usual over here, but we did try something new: real food!  Of course I was determined to wait six months to give Myla real food, but that kind of went out the window, mostly because we were curious to see how she would handle it.  I need to lighten up, anyway!

She has still only had a couple bites of food a few times, but we are starting to use our baby food maker to make and store some food in the freezer.  It's pretty cool!

For some reason I can't get the full video on here, so you have to click the link to go to a web album.  Ignore Dave and me talking.  This is her first try: https://picasaweb.google.com/katymkemp/April2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCIWB19yrtNO2zQE#5602105979544277762

Why was she such a natural?  It's creepy.  This is more what I was expecting: