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10 Months

Molly,

Month 10 has arrived faster than I could have ever imagined. You're still wearing 9 month clothes, size 2 shoes (if you actually wore them), and size 3 diapers.

You've been doing great with your baby food & your favorites seem to be the oatmeal with fruit and turkey & rice. You really would rather have anything from Mommy's plate. I'm amazed at what you can eat with only 2 little teeth (and 4 more on the way).

You sleep from about 7 until 3. Then you nurse & go back to sleep until about 6:15 when I have to get you up by singing you your "Sweet Molly" song. You take two naps a day, usually about an hour each.

You're walking (more like running) behind your little yellow cart & you can stand alone very well. Everything you find goes straight into your mouth. During playtime you like to play with your counting cow, blocks, & anything that makes music. You've figured out how to open the dog kennels and like to play with the blinds. You've gotten pretty good at waving & clapping and you're a pro at peek-a-boo.

You "talk" A LOT! So far you've said Dada, Mama, Disi (Dixie), bye bye, hi, and more.

My Sweet Molly-Molls I honestly don't know where the time has gone. You're such an amazing blessing & everyday with you is such a joy (even the hard ones). I love you so much my little Peppers!

Love,

Mommy

Teething Monster

Molly's first tooth came in back at the beginning of April. She was a little fussy but life was fine. Tooth #2 came in right behind it and again a little fussy but no big deal.

At her 9 month check up Dr. S noticed the swelling in her top gums and noted after feeling around that all FOUR top teeth would be makin' their appearance anytime now.

That was almost a month ago & girlfriend's been a mess. She's had fever, tummy troubles, she's cranky & just over all uncomfortable. Snuggling with Daddy helps sometimes though.

Then today I came across this and according to the chart we'll be in a constant battle with the Teething Monster for like the next year and a half.

Bring it on Teething Monster! This Momma's got Orajel, and Teething Tabs, and Tylenol, OH MY!

9 Month Photo Shoot

Easter eggs!!

I saw on Pinterest that you could dye eggs with Kool-aid, so I decided to give it a try.

They make it Look So Easy

You know who I'm talking about, those ladies running down the street pushing their kid in a jogging stroller. They're not sweating, they have perfect hair & make up. Their outfit looks like it walked off the pages of a fitness magazine & to top it all off they're talking on the phone & pushing the stroller with ONE hand.

I am NOT one of those ladies.

This Saturday morning for no reason I checked Craigslist for garage sales with jogging strollers. There was one right around the corner from us and they had 2 strollers to choose from for $40 each. After I finally found the garage sale (the post failed to mention the address & they didn't post any signs-made it kinda hard to find) I hauled my fabulous purchase home.


I got it cleaned up & it took me about 15 minutes (with the help of my sweet neighbor Stephanie) to get Molly strapped in. Only to find out that all three tires were in badly need of air. So we post-poned our madien jog until Sunday.


Sunday afternoon I geared up with my fancy filtered water bottle, my new performance socks & and an old ADPi t-shirt (reason #1 that I am not one of "those" ladies) We took off at a pretty reasonable pace according to my awesome new app and that would be the first of many times I ran Molly right off the sidewalk. (REASON #2)This continued for about 25 more minutes. So I tried to use one hand thinking that might make it easier to steer. (reason #3) WRONG! In the end we both survivied but it was defintely a challenge. See play by play text message(during my multiple water breaks) to Miss Heather below.


Forgive the language. It was hard. Either way I hope if you were in one of the cars driving by and have ever thought about running w/ a stroller I hope I gave you a little bit of courage that you don't have to be one of "those" ladies to do it.

**UPDATE**
Apparently there was an issue with my alignment that was making it hard to steer. My fabulous hubby fixed it and the 2 mile run went much better on day 2! Still super hard workout though!

Poor Baby

Molly's been sick for about 3 weeks now. First it was a "cold" then it was a double ear infection and we started our first round of antibiotics. After this week's visit with Dr. L I feel like a pharmacist.

She's on Zyrtec for possible air born allergies (thank you cedar) until April. They moved her from amoxicillin to augmentin, which brings lots of yucky tummy troubles so to combat that she's on a pro-biotic powder. To top it all off she's getting Motrin for the pain. The Boogie Wipes are awesome in case you're wondering.

My poor little peanut, month 6 isn't treatin' you so well. Hopefully we'll get it all taken care of and get my happy girl back! And just for good measure, in case all the medicine didn't work, there was a dose of Thin Mints given.

“For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17)

Roll On!

Molly does this quite often now but this is the first time I've gotten it on tape. Please ignore my commentary.

Baby Buffet

The night before Molly turned 5 months old we tried Rice cereal. It went about like I expected. Bowl & spoon worked for a while but most of it ended up on her so I switched to a bottle and she ate it right up! So this will be our last meal of the day for the next month or so until we start trying "real" food.

The Bucket List

This is a different kind of bucket list. This is the list of things I need to get into Molly's Bucket for her first day at Miss P's house. I can't believe I finished putting her bucket together without more than a few tears.



Other than the usual diapers & wipes, I packed her bibs, bottles, changes of clothes, blankets, teething toys, her 4 favorite books, pacis, tummy drops & tylenol. Miss P has everything else she'll need.
And since the time is coming so quickly that she'll be spending each day with Miss P I made a point to put other things asside and focus on my family for these 2 weeks. The proof:


Sad part is those clothes are clean

Nudist Colony

Yesterday our home turned into a nudist colony....well maybe colony is a strong word since we've only got one nudist. She screamed for a solid hour at the top of her lungs fussed for an hour and nothing helped, which is very unlike her. She wasn't hungry, or sleepy, she didn't want to play, she didn't have a dirty diaper. The only thing that made her stop crying was when I took off her clothes to make sure she didn't have a rash. So I kept her clothes off & now she's as happy as can be, bein' naked and playin' with her toes.

Hi Ho Hi Ho

It's back to work for this new momma. This is what my classroom looked like when I walked in first thing Monday morning.


There were desks scattered everywhere, stacks and stacks of ungraded work, and I couldn't find anything I was looking for. Considering I had cried the whole way to work I was not a happy camper.

BUT THEN...


This little cutie came to have lunch with me and all was right with the world.

Being a working mom stinks but we're adjusting. I'm just thankful that between Rustin, and my parents she won't have to start with her babysitter until Jan.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Wednesday Weigh In

The award for weight loss favorites for week 7 are, drum roll please ....

I read that oatmeal is "AMAZING" for helping keep milk supply up (sorry TMI) so I've been eating this every morning. SUPER yummy, and filling.


This milk tastes great and has 12g of protein. 12g!! Can you believe it. Plus it's one less WW point for a cup so that's a bonus!


And I'm super excited that they've taken the only almonds I like (the kind with Sea Salt, thanks to a former student) and put them into 100 calorie packs! Now and I can grab them and go.


One thing I tried this week for the first time was the WW string cheese. It's one point less than other Lite String cheese. Let me tell you, it's worth the other point. These are not so yummy! VERY rubbery. Dispointing but love most of the other WW products.



Recipe for the Week
Why should bananas get to have all the fun???
Toast a bagelthin (i like plain) top with 1T peanut butter. (It doesn't sound like alot but it's more than enough.) Top each half with a sliced strawberry. OMG it's awesome!!! And only 5 WW points



Stats for this Week
(feel free to leave yours in the comments section if you want to have another source of accountablilty)
lost this week: gained 1 lb
total loss in 7 weeks: 6 lbs
Lbs left til Pre-Molly Weight: 14
NSV (non scale victory): I tracked even when I knew I didn't want to, and you know what, it was ok. (See pic below)
What I'm looking forward to next week: Starting my Juillian Michael's 30 day shred video. AND finding the new WW freshmeals in the deli case at the grocery store. If you've found 'em please share where!!!

Baby Fat Be Gone~ Wednesday Weigh In

So here are a few things that have been getting me back on my Weight Watchers path this week. I've been on this path for 12 years, proof that WW is a lifestyle change and not a "diet". Either way here are my favorites for the week.


holy crap it really tastes like cake! This is goin' in my "Homemade Grown Up-Fat Kid Lunchable" with a bagel thin turkey sandwich, apples slices and fat free sour cream and onion pringles.


I wish I'd had these when I was pregnant. Sometimes you just get thirsty for a margarita and now it's only 5 calories and I can choose to add a shot (and points) if I want.


I got really into orange soda while I was pregnant. So glad they have one now that tastes decent


And I use fat free feta for EVERYTHING! I really like it mixed with whole wheat pasta, sliced grapes, 1 tsp of olive oil and medditeranian seasonings.

And if you know anything about me you know that veggies and I are not the best of friends, but I've really made an effort lately to try new recipes (thank you pinterest) so that I won't be the only adult in the world that doesnt eat broccoli.
This recipe is super easy and YUMMY! Believe me I wouldn't say that if it wasnt true.

On a foil lined cookie sheet place broccoli crowns. Drizzle with EVOO, salt and pepper & minced garlic. Bake at 425 for 25 min. When it comes out drizzle with more EVOO, lemon juice, and shredded parmesan cheese.

Stats for this Week
lost this week: 1
total loss in 6 weeks: 7 lbs
Lbs left til Pre-Molly Weight: 13
NSV (non scale victory): Decided to eat fruit instead of french fries for dinner and then passed up pie for grapes as a late night snack. Plus I tried a new carrot recipe and even though I didnt care for it I still tried em.
What I'm looking forward to next week: Trying a new kettlebell workout. I had to let my crossfit membership go until I start getting a paycheck again. This week's been mostly mommy/baby workouts; sit ups and push ups, pushing the stroller on our walks & housework.

Off to the Nursery

Last Sunday Molly went to the nursery at church for the first time. She was perfectly happy to go to Miss Ana, Mommy was not so eager to hand her off. It was the first time I'd ever had to leave her with a non-family member and I definately shed a few tears on the way to service. The sermon was good but I kept waiting for someone to come get me and tell me she was screaming. It never happened. At the end of service we went to pick her up and she was sleeping in the rocking chair with Miss Ana.

Month 3

Molly,
What everone says is true, time is flying by! We've survived 3 whole months together and they've been AMAZING!

This month you are still wearing size 1 diapers. Your Papa is afraid you're going to outgrow them soon but I doubt it.



You still have your bath every night around 8:30 and you LOVE it! You spend the first 5 minutes splashing around and kicking at your rubber ducky. You don't mind at all when your head sinks into the water. I think you're going to be a little swimmer. Most of your clothes are still 0-3 some NB outfits still fit too.
After we get you all dried off and ready for bed daddy reads you a story.



You still like your trusty ol swing but you've started to play on your playmat a whole lot more this month. Daddy also put together your excersaucer and at first you didn't like it, but you've sat in it a couple of times and didn't seem to mind it.



You still eat every 2-3 hours for 30-45 min. You're still sleeping through the night but the last few days you've been getting up much earlier than usual.



This month you met Meredith & Sarah on our trip to Houston with Mimi. You also stayed in the nursery at church for the first time this past Sunday. Miss Ana said you did great!



I'd like to say that I can't wait for the next month but it will be our last month home together everyday just the two of us and I CAN wait to pass you off to someone else each morning. I love you so much peepers!

Love,
Mommy