Entries from October 2009
I’m still here, people. And this will be a quick update! Seems things have gone crazy lately. Really. Busy is a fair understatement. 
If you’re awaiting an e-mail, phone call, or other, forgive me! I’m still the same ol’ “off” self I’ve been for the past few years, and it seems this funk is going to last forever. Oh well, many things have changed, most of which have not been good and driven me further down, but it is what it is. Anyway, onward …
First and foremost, our girl. Lily is growing like crazy. While she hasn’t done anything totally new lately, her skills are getting better by the minute! She’s rolling from one side of the room to the other, passing things from one hand to the other with little effort, responding to her name, and starting to inchworm with the best of ‘em.
She’s started real food every day! She’d had some here and there, but I had a hard time figuring the best time to feed it to her each night. Until she’s eating multiple times a day, it’s something I’m not willing to let our daycare provider do; I may be a working mom, but I’m still a MOM, and that’s my #1 job – thank you very much. Anyway, I was determined to make it work. When she was seriously hungry wasn’t good, but it didn’t seem to be working out when we first got home, either. We’ve got it, though, and she’s successfully enjoyed over a week of sweet potatoes, carrots, and just last night, tried and liked squash!
I also started her in her high chair last night, and thankfully, she loved it! She’s sitting up with help, and I’m hoping this helps her along in that area, as well. Yep, she’s sitting up with help! She’ll go a few seconds by herself, and makes some serious effort to remain upright, but just doesn’t have the strength yet.
Otherwise, things are the same. We’re looking forward to Halloween – three costumes should make for an interesting few days, huh? I’ll check back in soon!
Categories: blogging · family · lily · parenting
These Alphabitty Moments layouts are so much fun! MamaBear at 4 the Love of Family kicked off the fun to keep record of the little things our children do. She, along with the other weekly participants, have some amazing ideas and cute memories … you really should check it out!
I really struggled with something for the letter G. Because Peanut is only 5 months old, there’s often little she’s learned or done thus far. Watching her last night, it came to me, and it’s just perfect! So … this week, the letter G is for grip! That little girl has been grabbing, gripping and holding on to everything lately! I love watching her hands work as she learns to pick up, hold and pass things. This is such an awesome time – one that I don’t want to forget!
Psst …
Want to see all of the Alphabitty posts together? They can be found here …
Want more information on these Alphabitty Moments? Yep, it’s awesome! That information is here …
Categories: alphabitty · blogging · lily · parenting
Tagged: alphabitty
These Alphabitty Moments layouts are so much fun! MamaBear at 4 the Love of Family kicked off the fun to keep record of the little things our children do. She, along with the other weekly participants, have some amazing ideas and cute memories … you really should check it out!
So, without further ado, F is for … the fair! We ventured out to two local fairs this year – one was a local fireman’s carnival, and the other was our county fair. We had fun at both, and I’m sure the coming years will be much, much more exciting!
Psst …
Want to see all of the Alphabitty posts together? They can be found here …
Want more information on these Alphabitty Moments? Yep, it’s awesome! That information is here …
Categories: alphabitty · blogging · lily · parenting
Tagged: alphabitty
These Alphabitty Moments layouts are so much fun! MamaBear at 4 the Love of Family kicked off the fun to keep record of the little things our children do. She, along with the other weekly participants, have some amazing ideas and cute memories … you really should check it out!
So, what’s the theme for this week (Eh, I’m a few weeks late …)? E is for expressions! That girl makes some funny faces, and they’re getting funnier as every day passes! Some of our favorites made this page, though we have so many more!
Psst …
Want to see all of the Alphabitty posts together? They can be found here …
Want more information on these Alphabitty Moments? Yep, it’s awesome! That information is here …
Categories: alphabitty · blogging · lily · parenting
Tagged: alphabitty
… check out this one! I have no idea what the face is about because she wasn’t scared, I must have just caught her at the perfect moment. Hilarious!
Categories: blogging · humor · lily · photography
We just got back from an amazing weekend in Pittsburgh – nothing special, really, but it was nice to get away and not worry about anything!
On Sunday, little miss celebrated her 5 month birthday and gave us this awesome pic:
That’s my girl! We truly are blessed – she’s so happy and simply amazing! I don’t think there’s anything new to report at month 5. She’s trying to sit up when we hold her, but is not doing so on her own. Seems we have taken two steps back at night – while she was only waking up once a night for a while, she’s going through some kind of “bottle on demand” phase and thinks she can eat whenever she wants. Needless to say, sleep training is ON in our house! Seems sleep training is harder than the regular sleep deprivation of constant feedings, but if the outcome is good, I’ll take it!
Fall is such a busy time, and the coming weeks are certainly no exception. We have some fun things planned over the next few weekends, so we’ll be sure to update with photos. I’m falling behind on lots of things I’m supposed to be keeping up with, so forgive me – while this new life is SO full of rewards and heart-warming excitement, it’s also terribly draining and hectic … whew!
Happy Monday!
Categories: blogging · family · lily · parenting · photography
Tagged: 5 months, infant, pittsburgh
This is one of those, “you just have to know about it because I love it or hate it” reviews. I bought LeapFrog’s My Pal Scout from Target last week and have been in love with him ever since. 
First, he’s adorable! Believe me, once he’s programmed, he’s even more cute! His, “Hi, Lily!” greeting melts my heart every time!
Scout comes with a USB connection; you download LeapFrog Connect and plug him into your computer. From there, you can add your child’s name, favorite color, favorite animal, and favorite food. You can also change Scout’s songs – he comes pre-programmed with 5 daytime songs and 5 nighttime songs which you can swap out for 30+/- other options.
My Pal Scout is rated for children 6 months to 3 years. Lily is just under 5 months, and she loves it! Most of the time we have to push the buttons for her, though sometimes she does it herself. She laughs at the light when the bone on his collar lights up, and she talks while he sings and talks to her. I can see her hanging onto Scout for a long time. She’ll “grow into” him for sure; once she has a favorite food, color and animal, we’ll be able to personalize. She’ll also be able to learn from Scout. According to LeapFrog’s website, My Pal Scout teaches:
- First words
- Daily routines
- Early number sense
- Feelings and emotions
- Animals
See, there’s laughing with Scout (He must be a funny guy!)…
… and talking to Scout (Could he be a good listener?)!
If you’re looking for a cuddly, interactive companion for your child, I’d recommend My Pal Scout. Don’t be surprised if you’re singing along within hours – he’s sweet, addicting and oh so cute!
Note: Again, I am merely sharing my opinion on a product I purchased on my own. If you want to know more about my thoughts and policies on product reviews, go here.
Categories: lily · parenting · review · shopping
Tagged: educational, infant, leap frog, leapfrog, my pal scout, toddler, toy
What are your strengths? And how can you use your knowledge of those strengths to better all aspects of your life? In Find Your Strongest Life, Marcus Buckingham addresses those very questions and more. By taking The Strong Life Test for Women, you can identify your two strongest characteristics out of nine possibilities (Read more about my results here.) 
From there, you begin to work on learning just how to “have it all.” Marcus helps you define what having it all means to you, and then helps you determine how to achieve that goal. The focus is on putting your energy into things that are giving you the outcome you’re looking for. Interestingly, you’re challenged in the book to strive for imbalance rather than balance. And the best part? It makes sense!
Find Your Strongest Life is just the type of book I enjoy reading. I love discovering how to make my life a little more worthwhile. I also enjoy a good, fair challenge. After reading this book, I have something to strive for – my “all.” As a new mom learning to effectively juggle parenting, my role as a wife, work life, and all of the other challenges that are thrown my way, I will certainly take the skills I learned by reading this book and try to live my life differently. I will put my strengths in the limelight and take time and effort away from my weaknesses.
While I’m still a little skeptical about women being able to “have it all,” I’m certainly willing to put some of these tactics into practice, as I don’t believe any of them can hurt. If you’re looking to take an introspective look at your life, what makes you happy, and how you can improve, I suggest you read this book. It is my opinion that it’s best suited for working women, and if that’s you, it may be just what you’re looking for!
Note: Many thanks to Thomas Nelson, the publishing company that provided the above mentioned book for my review. If you want to know more about my thoughts and policies on product reviews, go here.
Categories: books/reading · review
Tagged: book review, find your strongest life, marcus buckingham, strong life test, strong life test for women, thomas nelson
