13 Months

I am going to overwhelm you with videos because I finally found time to upload a few. Charlotte is 13 months now and learning new things every week. Last weekend she got very good at standing all on her own, then come Monday night, she was walking like a champ! I went to pick her up from daycare and she walked across the long room to me. I was so proud of her. By last night she was doing laps around the house.
I showed her this video on the camera. She was too funny because she nodded like "Yeah, I know I'm awesome." Then when the video was done, she clapped for herself. She's so much like her daddy.



Also, last night, she surprised me by showing me that she's picked up some baby sign language. I signed "more" to her once, and the next thing I knew she was using it. This morning she did it with no instigation from me. That brain is like a sponge.



And now for some overwhelming cuteness.



Her new words this week (as far as I can understand) are apple and bunny. Some of her favorite things to do, listen to her Winnie the Pooh birthday card, play in Maggie's water dish, hand feed Maggie food, and climb the stairs. Her absolute favorite food right now is a grilled cheese sandwich.

This week we leave for Hawaii. I am so excited to relax and explore, but have a nervous spot in my heart to be away from Charlotte. Luckily she has two sets of grandparents who are more than happy to help and to get some bonding time in. I'm sure the vacation will fly by, as most do. Another thing I remind myself is how nurturing our marriage is the best thing for Charlotte because it is important for her to have parents who are happy and in love. So palm trees and mai tai's - here I come!

Fix, Freeze, Feast

Two weeks ago, I joined forces with Jessie and Montelle for an afternoon of freezer meal preparation. We've done this once before, so this time we had a little experience to work off of. We did our best to prep sauces and chop vegetables at home. This time we prepared several recipes out of Jessie's new book, "Fix, Freeze, Feast." What a fantastic book! These recipes are designed to make bulk quantities and, of course, freeze well. They even give recommendations on what size foil pans to buy. However, many recipes are designed to drop into freezer bags. The beginning of the book focuses on tips for saving money with warehouse shopping.
We prepared veggie lasagna, chicken parmiagna, cheesy chilada bake, broccoli chicken bake, and more. The recipes were uncomplicated and inexpensive. Brian and I have eaten a few already and found that there was enough for leftovers.
I haven't ordered my copy of the book yet, but plan to. These days, I don't see the value in spending a lot of time preparing a meal. However, if I could spend just a little more time and end up with one dish to eat then and 2-3 to store in the freezer, I think I'd be the happiest mom on the block.

I will find time to post a blog. I will find time to post a blog. I'll just keep telling myself that.

Today was a big day for a mommy. For months I've been complaining about Charlotte's, for lack of better terms, dietary habits. I longingly watched babies younger than her munching on finger foods while Brian and I struggled to get our baby to eat much more than pureed fruits. And not just any pureed fruits, only store bought baby food because something about my puree skills were not to her liking. She gagged on just about all other foods or else wouldn't even let the food near her lips. I complained to anyone who would listen.
Well, I have to think these ear-tubes have helped her turn over a new leaf. She's now refusing baby foods. Today she was loving her soggy Cheerios in milk for breakfast. At snack time she wolfed down chunks of orange and then said "String cheese? I want that in my mouth!" For dinner, sliced carrots, mashed potato, yogurt, and wait for it...shredded chicken. Damn near brought tears to my eyes. My big girl.