As she grows

My sweet, spunky, smart darling of a two year old is finished with her first year of preschool. She has changed in so many ways, made some new friends and has learned so many things under the careful watch and guidance of her dear teachers.

Will you stay this young, sweet and innocent forever, dear Sophie? Will you please always be my baby? I don't care right now if you always eat your peas, but I do want you to stay hopeful and energetic and curious and happy - always. I love you!

First day of school. 

Last day of school.

My sweet girl.

Operation: fatten him up

What.was.that?

Tucker was not really impressed, as you can tell from the above photo, with his first foods this past week. Unfortunately for him, we have to keep moving in the solid food direction. I totally forgot how frustrating exciting this time is in a baby's life. Needing a quick brush-up on baby's first foods? Find that here.

I declined the Hep B shot in the hospital when Tucker was born, and I have been putting off getting the immunization at his well visits. I only like for him to get so many vaccinations at one time. This past week I made an appointment to get caught up, and we had to weigh and measure him. I thought the scale must have been wrong when he rang in at 13lb 2.2oz. So we moved the scale away from the wall and reset it to zero and reweighed. The second time he was still only 13lb 6oz. By five months old, babies traditionally should have doubled their birth weight (which his was 7lb 13oz) and we clearly have not accomplished that goal. I'm hearing more about a new growth chart that some doctors are using for exclusively breastfed babies. On that particular chart, he's in the curve. On the traditional chart, he's fallen completely off the bottom at his current age/weight.

Jump to today and I'm ultra paranoid about my milk supply and regularly hanging out with my old friend Medela. And drinking raspberry tea. And eating lots of oats. And drinking organic Milkmaid Tea. And Medela. And water. And Medela.

Love love love this stuff.
Can be found at Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby and Amazon.

What a cruel cruel joke from mother nature that my baby sleeps really well at night, and when I take advantage of an almost full-night's-sleep, my milk supply decreases. It's so difficult to tell how much Tucker is getting at each nursing session, but when he eats a teaspoon of food and then still takes every drop of a bottle, it makes me worry I'm not providing enough. Insert crying emoticon.


Tucker has had a couple days of sweet potato and avocado and it gets a tiny bit better every day, though he wears more of it than he actually ingests. On top of that I'm still nursing and offering the pumped milk from the day before or defrosting some from the freezer. Fatten up, boy. I've got two weeks before our next weight check and I'm confident we can do this together!

My freezer stash that I've been SO proud of.
Time to put it to use!

And we're TWO!

Sophie is TWO, and she knows it. Such a big girl. We had a simple little party complete with mini ham sandwiches, spinach dip, snowman sugar cookies, juice boxes and a build-your-own-cupcake table. Sophie loved everything about the day which began with a visit from some Charlotte friends. Helen and Adam stopped in and brought her an adorable Hadley Pottery cupcake plate for her birthday sweets. She was thrilled about her new blue dress, and every time someone new came in the front door (with presents, I might add), she would shout, "Party!" I even caught a glimpse of her in the basement running around with two napkins - a'la pompoms - shouting "Party Party Party!"

Baby brother Tucker slept through the whole thing. Sweet little man.

A brief hiatus (well, I had a baby)

Where do I begin? I am so afraid with each day that passes and I don't write something about our new addition that I will start forgetting all of the amazing details.

SO MUCH has happened since my last entry on November 11th. Here is our timeline and I promise to find time in the next two weeks to catch you all up on the events!

Nov 14 - chiropractor appt, date night, also my 31st birthday

Nov 15 - dr appt

Nov 16 - baby's arrival

Nov 19 - Sophie meets baby

Nov 24 - Turkey day

Nov 28 - first day on my own as a mommy of two

Dec 9 - just had the best day ever

There has been lots of laughter, smiles, snuggly naps, My Little Ponies, and far fewer tears post pregnancy this time. My mommy cup overflows. I look forward to sharing my birth story soon!

Caught in the act

Sophie has had an on-again/off-again relationship with walking over the last month. She was up to 10 steps at once when we were in Florida for Christmas and upon our return to the Carolinas, she promptly went right back to a contented crawl. Over this past weekend, she rekindled her relationship with the idea of walking. Today I grabbed the Flip Video and this was the best I could do - sorry for the unsteadiness (I'm a photographer, not a videographer).

I'm not even sure I notice her walking in this video, her big pout gets all of my attention (and my heart - she gives the sweetest kisses!). You go, girl!

On feeding baby

All this talk about Thanksgiving and Christmas meals has got not only my stomach rumbling, but has also got me thinking about what my little Sophie will be indulging in on her first holidays. It's only now that I realized I haven't spelled out any of my favorite baby food recipes to share. My blender has never felt so loved (previous life only knew margarita mix and Tequila). I know I don't have to say it again, but all of the food I've ever made for Sophie has been organic. We use Absolute Organics delivery of fruit and vegetables to the house, and I buy organic chicken and ground beef from Costco. I even found organic turkey lunch meat at The Home Economist. I would say that in the past that I made 95% of the food she ate. Lately I'd have to change that to 75% thanks to Cheerios, Gerber puffs, and these yummy things that a friend told me about:

They are uber convenient, organic, and they make some really great flavor combinations. There are other brands that are also organic and come in these little Capri Sun-like pouches - Plum Tots is one of them. But back to cooking. The mere thought of making my own baby food made me nervous. How could I possibly make anything better than money could buy? Now, now, new mommy, what you can make at home is 100x better than store bought. Reasons to make your own baby food include but are not limited to:

• it's more fresh
• it has more nutrients
• it's less expensive
• you are in control!
• make your own combinations
• you ensure the quality of ingredients

If you are on the fence, just try it. If you feel it takes too long or the mess too big, or you just don't find it rewarding at all, then you tried. I happen to love cooking to begin with, so making Sophie's food was just as fulfilling to me as breast feeding her. There is a lot to know as far as what foods are gassy, what foods are constipating, and how to balance them all out in your baby's little belly. Sometimes it comes by trial and error. Or, you could just read a book or two for some hints! It is best to try one food at a time, waiting about three days before introducing another (you want to keep any eye out for reactions and it's easier to pin-point if they've only eaten one thing the last day or so). Once you've introduced foods on their own - get to mixing - the combinations are endless.

Without further ado, here goes some of our tried and true baby meals.

No cook purees:

Mango

Banana

Plums

Avocado

Kiwi

Peaches

All of the above easily peel, mash with a fork, thin with breastmilk, formula or water until the consistency was so that it slid off the back of the spoon. (If using breastmilk or formula, serve immediately, do not store). Sophie hated avocado - still does. I know it's a popular one for most babies though.

Now we get cookin':

Apples
Pears
Green beans
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sweet potato
Carrot
Zucchini
Butternut squash
Spinach

All of the above were easily washed/peeled/chopped, then steamed/simmered/boiled until tender, and then pureed in the blender until smooth. Sometimes the consistency was too thick with just the fruit or vegetable which I then used the water from the bottom of the pan to thin (with the exception of carrots - too many nitrates build up in the water when steaming carrots). I would then pour the puree into my baby food cube tray and freeze. Once frozen solid, I would pop out the cubes and store in a labeled gallon Ziploc bag (inside the gallon bag I would use smaller quart bags to keep the flavors separate). Good in the fridge for about 48 hours, good in the freezer for about 6 weeks. I use these KidCo BPA free storage trays:



Chicken with Sweet Potato and Apple

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
4 oz boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1/2 apple (any kind), peeled, cored and chopped
1 cup chicken stock

Heath the oil in a saucepan, add the onion and cook until soft. Add chicken and saute until opaque. Add the sweet potato and apple, and pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into blender and puree until smooth.

Her First Ground Beef

1 red pepper
2 tomatoes, peel and seeded
1/2 zucchini
1/2 lb ground beef

Roast the red pepper (or use jarred pre-roasted) over gas top flame until charred, set in a bowl and cover tightly with saran wrap for 20 minutes. Remove from bowl and peel the skin and de-seed. Steam the 1/2 zucchini and chop. Puree roasted red peppers, peeled tomatoes and steamed zucchini. While browning the ground beef, break into tiny tiny bits. Mix the vegetable puree with the ground beef and serve alone or with tiny whole wheat pasta.


Cheesy Chicken and Carrot Risotto

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 medium tomato, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup brown rice
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

Heat olive oil in pan, add chicken, cooking until opaque. Add carrots and chicken stock then bring to a slow boil. Add rice and simmer until all liquid is absorbed. In a separate pan, warm tomatoes and cheese. Remove chopped chicken from the rice and carrot mixture and puree with the tomato and cheese mixture. Stir puree back into cooked brown rice and carrots.

The Croup

Can we just call it what it is? How about the Crap instead of the Croup, because honestly, it's just crap all around.

Sophie had what I thought was an extreme case of teething until the fever got higher, the nose runnier, and the moaning went on all.night.long. When we had two wakeful nights in a row, off to the doctor we went. The RSV test took 10 minutes to process (longest 10 minutes in recent memory), and when it was negative I was so relieved. Steroids for the Croup, and surprise! Our first ear infection - antibiotics as well.

So last night's pillow talk consisted of me relaying to Bryan everything the doc said about Sophie being sick. I had no idea that Croup could get really severe really quick, especially in small children. Bryan said, "So, are you going to sleep in her room or am I?" I gathered minimal bedding for minimal disturbance and snuck in as quiet as my old-lady-half-marathon-knees and my grumbling stomach would let me. I lay on the floor in the nursery all night carefully dissecting every sneeze, cough and whisper she made. Safe to say not much sleep was had, but, thank God for modern medicine as she is already feeling much better.

What's been going on?

A lot of this (pulling up, standing):

And a little of that (getting some fresh air at the park):

And today is this kid's birthday
(but don't ask him how old, because he isn't sure).
I love you, Bryan!!

It's been a busy few weeks at the Barber household. Shawn (Bryan's youngest brother) came for a weekend before starting his Junior year of high school, and Yaya also came in town for a visit. We hosted our Ears 'N Beers party (with you guessed it, yummy corn dishes, homemade compound butters, cornbread, corn hole, and beer). I started working with a personal trainer who is ah-mazing. I am serving for the 3rd year on the Charlotte Seminole Club board and we hosted our 2010 season kickoff event uptown. Sophie and I switched to a new music class closer to home and we LOVE it, and she made it through an entire church service in the nursery (no small feat for her or me)! I've been whipping up some new dishes in the kitchen with all of our Absolute Organics produce which introduced eggplant and kale to my refrigerator for the first time. Sophie had a birthday pool party last weekend that was so much fun - it's got me planning her December party already (ok, ok, I started planning that a month ago). And finally, Sophie is now the proud bearer of two bottom teeth. I had no idea how sharp they would be... it hurts when she bites... can I file those things down?!

Next Wednesday will be a rough day for us. Please send up some doggy prayers for little Miss Maddox. The good news is that she doesn't have osteoarthitis as we thought. The bad news is that she has been limping around since winter because of what was a partially torn - now fully torn - ACL. So... I've done my research, chosen a procedure and the doctor, and 12 weeks from next Wednesday hopefully we'll have our old Maddox back. Anyone who knows me know that this canine is my first born and she means the world to me. All I can do is hope that the doctor has a successful surgery and that we are able to provide her with the comfort and rehab that she needs to gain back her puppy-like bounce. I love you, sweet Maddox!

On being a mom

So I just can't wait until Sophie is a year old to reflect on what a wonderful year it's been and how quickly time passes; which it has begun to do far too quickly. A little teary over here as I write... Being a mom (mommy, mother, mama, "Hey you!") takes on new meaning with each passing month - sometimes with each new week. In its simplest form, being a mom is being a warm place where comfort is sought and always found, a food source and an endless supply of I love you's. But that is where the evolution begins. Being a mom turns into also knowing how many Pampers Points you are away from that free subscription to Fitness Magazine, knowing at precisely at what moment you must leave the restaurant in order to avoid public meltdown, realizing that exactly 2 minutes and 47 seconds after you are freshly showered and dressed you will either be peed on, pooped on or spit-up on (and it's ok because that is why you wear two shirts - see? You're a pro!).

The fourth trimester a.k.a. three months old a.k.a. the "blur"

I took a lot of showers. It was a safe place to cry, which I admittedly did a lot of. I remember vividly Bryan stepping in with me, right after we got home from the hospital. He felt my uncertainty even though he might never understand it. So he held me as I stood there not totally identifying with the bowl of jelly that oscillated between my ribs and my hips. As the sun began to set each evening, I ran around the house like a banshee to turn on all the lights and light every candle. I did not want to be reminded of the long night ahead. She didn't sleep a lot, and neither did we. I did however master lots of skills in 30 seconds or less: make the bed and perfectly arrange all eight pillows (first time I ever agreed with Bryan that all those pillows were senseless), assemble or disassemble the pump, brush teeth, strap Soph into the car seat and pull out of the garage (movement was key to no crying), the list goes on. I learned to exhaust every second the 50 minutes I had between nursing sessions - a quick walk and a shower, or Target and lunch to-go... then we settled back in with the boppy in a comfy corner of the sofa.

Months four and five

First flights, road trip (we prefer flying for sure), formula, her baptism, laughter, enjoying the exersaucer and her beloved Sophie the Giraffe. Life was good again as I exited the fog and entered the warm sun with my beautiful baby girl. Our Gerber photo shoot was so much fun and Sophie's first payday - something I'll never forget. Baby girl started sleeping through the night, I'm talking 12 hours without waking. I joke that she's making up for all the sleep she didn't get as a newborn. We sold the house and I was worried about the transition for her. She did fantastic... didn't skip a beat and practically slept the entire time the movers unloaded all of our booty.

Months six and seven

The firsts started coming almost one on top of another. Sitting up on her own, swim lessons, sitting in a highchair, finally enjoying the bathtub; she changes almost daily. I get so excited when she wakes from her naps, and a little sad at the end of the day to put her down for bed (12 hours before we can play again!). She started crawling, waking some in the night, and alas, a tooth popped through just the other day. And after only two days, she scoots around in that little walker like nobodies business.

******************

I mean.... can you tell that I am totally, fully, wholly in love with this little gummy grinning belly laughing baby girl? I'm enamored. She marches to her own beat, we just follow. Just some days I wish she would stay itty bitty forever, I do not want to wish away my time with her now. The only thing constant is change... and a mother's love. xoxo

Well, it's about that time

Some days I feel like I really have it together. Yesterday we walked with neighbors, Heidi stopped over for a visit, I got all the goodies on my list at Target (subsequently Sophie ate said list), we had the dog trainers come over for a session, I cooked an excellent dinner and ended the evening sweatin' in the heat having wine with Rachel and Jen. Today I lose my togetherness all-together when Sophie hits yet another milestone.

Well it's about that time to baby-proof the house. Dust off the outlet covers and cabinet ties that have been tucked away since the baby shower. 'Cause folks, we have a CRAWLER!

We were upstairs this morning when it first happened with Rachel and Emma. Rachel and I avoided eye contact because both of us were tearing up :) I took a really cute flip video after we got home from the gym, which I've unsuccessfully tried to upload here four times (five times now). So, I'll just end this post with a few recent pics of her royal cuteness.

Mom, seriously, enough with the pictures already!

Sophie and mom at Sushi night out with the Bottoms family!

Up wayyyy past bedtime but exited to play with Emma!

Having a snack with mom at Tasty Yo!

Trumped

I looooooove going into the nursery to get Sophie first thing in the morning and after her naps. She is all smiles and giggles... it simply is the best.

Sometimes I let Maddox (her four-legged big sister) come with me to get Sophie. Now that we've lowered the mattress one notch, Maddox and Sophie are eye level and Maddox will slip her tongue through the crib slats to slather Sophie with big kisses and Sophie just laughs and laughs.

This morning I went in to get her (sounds of "mamamama" over the monitor melting me), anticipating the smiles meant only for this mommy, and beaming a little myself. I was trumped! She wouldn't even look at me, but scanned all around the crib for Maddox! I picked her up and planted a big kiss on each of her sweet cheeks and she nearly had whiplash from turning her head towards the door hoping to see the pup.

OK! I'll let Maddox come get you from now on. Let's see how well she picks you up, changes your diaper, makes you a bottle... might I remind you she doesn't even have opposable thumbs?

It was the first, but hardly the last, that mommy was passed over for something far more fun and exciting :( But I have to admit, I love how patient and sweet Maddox is with Sophie. They are my baby girls and they have a mutual adoration for each other.

An old picture, but just an example how Maddy is always watching over Sophie!

Victory day

We celebrate victories in the Barber household, even small ones (like poopy diapers, finishing green beans, a trip to Costco without any crying). Today we had two victories. The first being a trip to the baby drop-off at the gym without any tears! I asked the care-givers to play with her instead of strapping her in a bouncy seat. When I came back (only 15 min later - I told you, small victories), they had placed a playmate in front of Sophie; a seven month old boy and the babies just kept looking at each other and turning their heads.... frickin adorable. Of course, she cried the whole way home (mom! you took my friend away!).

Victory number two was a home run on some adorable items from Bella Tunno... sale goes on til 6pm if you haven't gotten anything! By entering the code VICTORY in the discount area, I saved 40% off the following precious accessories:

Gotta love the little headband... when Sophie has a head full of hair this will be cute!

A wipe-able placemat on one side and a re-usable chalk board on the other!

For the artist in Sophie...

To protect her little head from the sun... I heart paisley and zebra!

And a smaller third victory... mama lost 2lbs!

Mixed bag Wednesday

Butternut squash was on the menu yesterday. I bought one at our local farmers market (the sticker proclaimed imported from Mexico, sigh) to make Sophie some baby food. One squash goes a long way, I probably made enough to feed an army of babies, plus had leftovers for butternut squash soup last night. Today, I'm tackling green beans. The kitchen shears are tucked away; I decided today to be more authentic - snapping off the ends and pulling the strings like little zippers the "country way" as my Dad would call it (I laugh because these were labeled "stringless beans" at the market). Outside I hear the police helicopter circling overhead yet again. We love our new neighborhood, which, ironically is also our old neighborhood. But Papa John's won't even deliver here because it's too "dangerous" (exhibit A: circling police 'copter).

Today is a mixed bag for me. A mixed bag of veggies from the farmers market that I still have yet to sort, excitement for the USA soccer team, and sadness for my family back in Pensacola for their loss of the beautiful white beaches where heavy oil washed ashore today and a more personal loss of a family member. One of the Brazils has left to cross the Rainbow Bridge into doggy heaven.

Little Miss Moose is the fluffy white ball of happiness in the center of the picture below. She lived to be almost 17 years (people years!) old and was the recipient of a lot of love, tummy rubs, pig ears, treats, kisses and snuggles. She will be deeply missed by the family and her litter mate Muffin who is still kickin!

Just some other pictures from the week so far to end the post on a little brighter note...

Papa and Soph in the pool at swim lessons.

Happy little swimmer in a cute towel wrap from Aunt Kristin (and Kaelin and Hannah).

Sophie in her soccer BabyLegs cheering for the USA as they advance in the World Cup!

Big time sits

Sittin big! Sophie started sitting by herself at Kindermusik on Monday (do we need ONE more reason to LOVE Kindermusik?)! Everyone was so proud of her - she is definitely the smallest in the pack but can now sit close to the drum with everyone else :) I was really excited for her, but some fear/sadness crept up inside, too, as I realize that her milestones are going to start coming faster and faster.

Showing Papa my new trick!

Sitting up for the camera!

Firsts

This has been a week of notable "firsts" around the Barber household.

First swim lesson - Sophie used her arms to get to the rubber duckies, even kicked a little! She "floated" on her back, too. Who knows what other swim skills my infant would have excelled in next. No, really. We'll never know because our first swim lesson was cut short by some toddler up-chucking in the pool.

First Kindermusik class - this was the first class we actually paid for. She loved the free class. I went to Egypt and back instead of following the GPS to class and got us there 30 minutes late, Soph missed a nap, and the only song she liked was Mama Paquita (fussed through the rest).

First trip to the gym baby-drop-off - didn't go as well as planned. Mea culpa because I went to check on her and she saw me (unbeknownst to me) and she cried hysterically as I walked away.

First trip to Target with not ONE impulse purchase. Baby steps.

First homemade baby food - apples were food of choice (partly because I bought a giant package of them from Costco and knew by Tuesday that we weren't going to be eating them all before they spoiled). And she actually liked my apples, but doesn't like the jarred apples.

How you like them apples? :)

My little swimmer happy as a clam after swim lessons!

Reasons Not to Write a Blog/Intro

Top five reasons not to write a blog: 1. No one will read it (except my own mother ((love you Mom))). 2. Unintentionally rub people the wrong way (SPOILER ALERT: this is my blog and you will be subject to my opinions should you chose to continue). 3. Time consuming - do I really need another reason to sit in front of the computer? 4. Can't think of a catchy title. 5. How permanent are these things? Will my daughter be reading this in 16 years and have more reasons to be horribly embarrassed by her un-cool mom?

I've been considering writing a blog for almost a year now. My life has changed dramatically in the last 12 months which I'm sure to catch you up on throughout the posts. Most remarkably, I went from a career woman to a stay-at-home-MOM. Today marks my little one's 6 months on the Earth; and while she naps upstairs, I'm entering into the unknown... the world of blogs.

Being a new mom, my view on the world can shift on a dime as I experience things for the first time again through her eyes - or I see something that screams "Danger!" like never before (i.e. the IKEA metal lantern by the fireplace that she rolled into this morning). I posted something on FB recently about wanting to lose the baby weight and a quip on my distaste for raisins which garnered 28 or so comments (but who is counting)... so I thought... people might actually read what I write and find it mildly entertaining.

What to call my blog? Well, my universe now revolves around a little one I like to call Sophie. And her universe revolves around a rubber teething giraffe also named Sophie. It was the only thing I could think of on the fly, so, Sophie en Sophie was born.

What should you expect to read here, you ask? Good question. Expect the unexpected, I guess. Just my random thoughts as they come - daily, weekly, who knows. Please don't expect grammatically and punctually perfect prose (I promise to use the spell check though).