Avocados and Bananas?!

I keep seeing articles that say babies love avocados. So when I saw them on sale, I bought one and gave it a try. It was hard to resist the urge to dump a bunch of garlic in there and eat it myself. A friend of mine told me she knew a baby that likes avocados and bananas mashed together. I had half a banana to use up, so I threw it in there too.

Sounds disgusting right? It was delicious and Cutie Pie loved it. I could totally see myself sitting next to the pool and dipping plantain chips into my baby's food. If you want to try Cutie Pie's new favorite food, it's simple:

Half an avocado, mashed
Quarter of a banana, mashed

Mix it all up and serve!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Where are all these bugs coming from?

Just when I thought my biggest problem was the swine flu vaccine. Cutie Pie caught the real flu and gave me something real to worry about. Well, I don't know if it's really the FLU, since it's July and all. But it's making him miserable and it has created a horrible mess in my house. Cutie Pie wore every shirt he owns today. I've also washed every crib sheet and blanket in the house. Sometimes it is such fun to be a Mom.

Da Da caught the bug too. I don't know how he manages to get everything Cutie Pie gets. I'm starting to wonder if the boys are purposely getting sick together to gang up on me and drive me crazy. I saw the dog outside eating grass and told her, "OH no you don't! I've got enough sickness to clean up without you too!"

Cutie Pie has been asleep for twenty minutes, which makes it officially his longest nap of the day. Finally, I have some time to tackle that laundry.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com

More Pandemic

Just when you thought it was safe to leave the house, the pandemic is back. The news seemed to forget all about the swine flu for a while there but this week H1N1 is all over the place. I heard that all children are going to be required to get the swine flu vaccines this year and as the mommy of a little person, I am very concerned.

Cutie Pie already has to get a million shots this year. When I go to read about the shots, I am bombarded with negative information. Many of the books I have read recommend finding a doctor who will let you pick and choose your shots. I can't imagine telling Cutie Pie's doctor, "Yes, I'd like a little more Hib, hold the MMR." Reading these books and articles makes me feel like I am being an irresponsible mother by vaccinating my child. But I really don't have a choice because Cutie Pie has to keep up with his shots or his doctor won't see him and he won't be able to go to school.

So now Cutie Pie has to get more shots. The only thing worse than getting more shots, is actually getting the swine flu. Thanks a lot, swine flu, for giving me a whole new reason to worry.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

A Snowball in July

A new baby started at Cutie Pie's school yesterday. I watched as his Mommy dropped him off and gave her last minute instructions to the Teachers. It brought back all the memories of anxiety and panic that I felt on Cutie Pie's first day. I've grown up a lot since then and Cutie Pie has too.

Cutie Pie has changed so much. I keep one of those memory calendars where you write in all his milestones. Now that he is older, there is something to record every day. Just last week, Cutie Pie took his first steps, got his first black eye, learned to like peas, ate pancakes, hid his face behind a blanket to play peek a boo, made clicking sounds with his tongue, started signing for "more" and "all done" and said hi and waved to another little baby. He seemed to make one small advance and it just snowballed. It is so exciting to the the Mommy of an eight month old.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com

The Danger Zone!

Cutie Pie's house is a (mostly) baby-proof safe zone. We don't have bumpers on the furniture but he can pretty much go wherever he wants in the house without encountering anything too dangerous. Cutie Pie quickly taught us how to baby-proof and what areas of the house we should just make off-limits. We followed his instructions and the family has been very happy in our baby-proof home.

Unfortunately, the rest of the world is not baby-proof. On our recent whirlwind trip to visit relatives, I realized that my baby-proof house has given me a false sense of security. When put into a new environment, particularly one with lots of expensive knick knacks, Cutie Pie's curiosity cannot be stopped. Everything outside our door is the "danger zone." Low shelving, floor lamps and houseplants, OH MY!

I always thought I wouldn't have to worry about Cutie Pie discovering stairs because we live in a one story house. Wrong! Other people have two story houses. Cutie Pie saw the stairs and up he went! We put the safety latches on our cabinets to keep Cutie Pie from getting into them. He has learned that when he opens the cabinet the latch will stop him and he enjoys swinging on it. He was completely caught off guard at his Grandparent's house when he leaned into the cabinet and it swung all the way open, knocking him down in the process. But he was not phased. When he saw the treasures available to him inside that cabinet he made a bee-line right for it.

As a result of being in the danger zone this weekend, Cutie Pie spent a lot of time being held and cuddled, which is one of the great things about visiting family. Unfortunately, he didn't get his energy out the way he usually does and by the time I was able to sit down and play with him in a safe place, he was so wound up he couldn't play. He was like a hyperactive moose knocking into all his toys and trying to make up for lost time. I guess Mommy's next lesson is Cutie Pie needs his play time.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

One Small Step for Cutie Pie, One Giant Leap for Cutie Pie's Mom

With all the drama surrounding Cutie Pie's eyes the last few days, a major milestone has been overlooked. Cutie Pie took his first step on Tuesday!

Cutie Pie was hanging out in the kitchen, doing his best to get in the way and distract Mommy from gathering her things to leave for work. He loves to hang on to the cabinet handles and swing his body weight back until the safety latch catches him. It's not the safest game for a baby to play but when you're just trying to open the freezer drawer without two baby hands rushing to grab the ice, a little cabinet swinging seems like no big deal. Once I had what I needed, I bent down to pick Cutie Pie up. I held out my arms for him, expecting him to grab one of my hands like he usually does. Instead, he let go of the cabinet and took a step toward me. I was in total shock. My first thought was Oh my gosh! Is this really happening? Then I thought: Oh no! Not on the tile floor! Don't fall! Don't fall! Don't fall! He caught his balance and tried to take another step when he fell. My heart leaped! I caught him in mid-air and scooped him up into a big hug! I couldn't believe it! Cutie Pie probably didn't even realize what had just happened.

When I dropped Cutie Pie off at school today, his teacher told me that yesterday he took two steps. She said he was standing and watching another baby when he suddenly let go and took two steps. She said he seemed to suddenly realize that he wasn't holding on and fell to the floor.

Her story made me feel a little sad that I had missed his second steps. I know I won't be there for every one of his milestones. While my back was turned at dinner today, he signed for "more" food. Thank goodness his dad saw it so we knew he was still hungry! Maybe I can set him up with a Twitter account so he can tell me each time he's about to do something new.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Black Eye, Pink Eye

In a THUD heard all the way on the other side of the house, Cutie Pie's head crashed against the side of the bathtub the other night. He ended up with a small bruise just under his eyebrow that makes him look like he's wearing dark eyeshadow.

When I saw what had happened, I quickly wrapped him in a towel and ran over to my husband, telling him to get Cutie Pie some clothes because we were going to the hospital. Luckily, Da Da was unruffled. He looked carefully at Cutie Pie's eye and told me all he needed was an ice pack. Unfortunately, Cutie Pie didn't like the ice pack. This led to a whole new set of worries for his over-anxious Mommy. If I let Cutie Pie push the ice pack away, am I being a good mother for letting him assert his independence or being a bad mother for not making sure the ice keeps down any swelling? What if his eye swells shut? What if the swelling damages the eye? Can you get a brain injury from a hit to the eye? Should I keep the ice on him when he falls asleep? What about those scary stories you hear about children that fall, seem fine and then a few hours later they have to be rushed to the hospital? I just couldn't stop myself. I checked with my favorite Baby-Bible, Baby 411. The author reassured me that Cutie Pie was fine. I must have checked on him a million times that night, though, just in case.

The next morning, Da Da woke up with pink eye. Positive that Cutie Pie gave it to his Dad, I braced myself for the worst; a baby with a black eye and pink eye! But when Cutie Pie woke up, his eyes were clear. Thank goodness! I can only take so much!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com

Peas? No Thank You!

Yesterday, Cutie Pie's Teacher informed me that he didn't eat his peas. I laughed and told her about the time I tried to give him peas and he rejected them. Cutie Pie likes babyfood peas. He eats them all the time. Peas have the most fiber of all the vegetables so anytime Cutie Pie gets stopped up, he gets a meal of peas. I thought he'd like to try the real thing so I put a few on his plate one day. He looked at me like I was crazy.

Apparantly she had been pretty surprised because she had never seen Cutie Pie turn down any kind of food. I've watched Cutie Pie eat lunch at school with his friends. The teachers have to feed Cutie Pie two spoonfulls of baby food then hurry and give all the other babies one spoonfull as fast as they can before Cutie Pie notices that he's not being fed. At home, Cutie Pie loudly complains if I dare to take a bite of my own dinner in between Cutie Pie's spoonfuls of baby food.

So last night, we just happened to have peas with dinner. What are the chances? I decided to try again to instill a love for green vegetables in my child. I picked a couple of peas out of my meal and put them on his tray. Cutie Pie just stared at me. I smashed one. Cutie Pie whined for more baby food. Then I had a genius idea. I put a pea on the spoon and fed it to Cutie Pie with a little bit of baby food. I thought that if Cutie Pie could just get used to eating peas, maybe he'd like them. No such luck. Cutie Pie ate the baby food, swallowed, then spit out a pea. I tried again but this time I smashed the pea first. Out came the smashed pea. After four or five tries, Cutie Pie finally ate a pea, I think.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

New and Exciting

I love to watch Cutie Pie discover new things. He seems to be growing up so fast. Just a few short months ago, he was fascinated by the little toys that hung from his bouncer. Now, I'm lucky if anything captures his attention long enough for me to make the bed.

Unfortunately, not all of Cutie Pie's discoveries are good ones. Currently, Cutie Pie is discovering the blinds. No matter how many times I redirect his attention, he always crawls back to the window. The boy is fast! I've tried to block off the area with toys and furniture. He just regards this as his own personal obstacle course that must be conquered. Cutie Pie is determined to get those blinds no matter what!

Whenever I meet another Mommy, I always ask what toys their babies love to play with. I'm always looking for something that will entertain Cutie Pie for more than ten seconds. If the toys helps him develop motor skills or language that's a bonus!

So, I took Cutie Pie to our local consignment shop and let him play with the gently used toys to see what he went for. They frown on such things at Target, you know. Cutie Pie must have known I was watching. He didn't show particular interest in anything but the book shelves, which he used to stand up and cruise around the play area. Maybe I should stop worrying about toys and just buy a few more bookshelves!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com

Over and Out

It has been a long week. All that coughing and crying has finally worn Cutie Pie out. Last night he hit the wall. He passed out while still eating his dinner. Usually Cutie Pie is a huge fan of dinner. You can see him reaching for the food on his tray but he just couldn't stay awake long enough to eat it.

This cold has officially ended. Hooray for me! I finally got some sleep, too!

I've got to celebrate while I can. I know those two top teeth are just around the corner.

Here We Go Again

The drama continues. Cutie Pie appeared to be better today. He woke up smiling from ear to ear. He played with his toys and chased the dogs. I took him to the park and he had a blast. Then he came home and took a blissfully long nap. We had the perfect morning. I dropped him off at school this afternoon a happy and well-rested baby. Then a few hours later, I got a call that Cutie Pie's nose was bleeding. The next thing I knew, I had an emergency appointment with the pediatrician and I was flying down the street to get my precious baby.


I arrived at the day care anxious to see my little one but was delayed by an accident report. Apparently, Cutie Pie fell down and bumped his head right after they called me. He added another bruise to the collection on his forehead. I scooped up my little Cutie Pie and whisked him off to the doctor.


I noticed right away that he must have stopped bleeding because I didn't see any evidence of a bloody nose. When we got to the doctor's office the nurse asked why we were there. I explained that Cutie Pie had a cold for the past few days and that today his nose started bleeding at school. She made a face and wrote it down.

Believe me lady, I didn't rush over here on a Wednesday afternoon because I had nothing better to do.

Then she made a comment about the bruises on Cutie Pie's forehead.

Well, I can't leave his helmet on all the time!

Then she said something about how Cutie Pie was trying to stand up on the exam table instead of sit passively while I changed him.

Would you prefer he lay here like a lump?


Feeling like the worst mother in the world, I sat with Cutie Pie in the exam room and waited for the doctor while trying to entertain my half-naked eight month old in a doctor's office with only the toys I could find in the back seat of my car. When the doctor finally arrived he said the bloody nose was caused by a scratch, probably from a bulb syringe and was no big deal. Once again, he pronounced my Cutie Pie perfect, except for a cold.


Hooray! This crisis is over! I could feel the weight lifting from my shoulders. But then he said something that scared me all over again. Those two top teeth are going to come out any day now.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Cough, cough, SCREAM!

Cutie Pie doesn't like coughing. He's caught another cold. Here we go again. I haven't slept since Sunday afternoon. This cold has been a bad one. He's perfectly happy when he's awake but once he's sleepy, watch out! Cutie Pie doesn't like waking up. He really doesn't like coughing himself awake. That's when the screaming starts.

I feel completely helpless and miserable for him. You would think that in the year 2009, we would have some kind of remedy for the common cold or at least something to relieve a baby's symptoms. But no, they are forced to suffer through their stuffy noses like it's the stone age. No grown up would put up with that kind of congestion without taking something. It is so sad that my baby has to sniffle and cough just because he's little.

I'm trying to do what I can to help the little guy. We propped up his mattress with a pillow to elevate his head. The humidifier is cranking out steam so fast it feels like the Bahamas in his nursery. Unfortunately, it's not so easy for me to do the other things I need to do to help Cutie Pie breathe. He hates those saline drops and the nose aspirator. He fights and squirms as soon as he sees them. I try to smile brightly and trick Cutie Pie into thinking he likes getting things shoved up his nose but he cannot be fooled. He cries and screams. Then I have to fight back my own tears. It would be so much easier to just give in and let him stay stuffy. But in the long run, he is better off getting that mucus out of his nose. Being a good parent is heartbreaking.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Mommy says MOO!

"That is a cow. What does a COW say?"

Silence

"A Cow says MOO!"

"This is a pig."

Cutie Pie crawls away.

"What does a Pig say? Hey Cutie Pie! What does a pig say?"

BANG BANG BANG! Cutie Pie plays with his blocks.

"Never mind."

Many of the Baby Instruction Manuals I have read stress the importance of teaching your child animal sounds at this age. They say it is a great game for mother and child. They describe an attentive baby gazing adoringly at his mother and answering all the mother's questions with precious baby animal noises that he learned on the first try. Yeah, right.

I've heard Cutie Pie make some animal sounds but I don't think he did it intentionally. I've heard him oink like a pig when he was laughing so hard he couldn't stop. I've heard him gobble like a turkey when he told me about his day. I even heard him bark like a dog once, while looking at the dog. It was probably an accident but it was still pretty cool!

I can understand how teaching your child letters, numbers and colors will benefit him in the future. Even if the kid isn't going to be an athlete, he needs to develop motor skills so it's important to play ball and climb all over the place. But for the life of me I can't figure out how learning animal sounds will benefit him at eight months of age. He likes it when we make funny sounds at him. But I'm worried that I've been saying MOO MOO MOO for so long that he thinks that it's a Mommy sound, not a cow sound!

Why on earth is it so important to teach your child animal sounds? Maybe if Cutie Pie lived on a farm and often came into contact with a variety of animals, learning their sounds would be helpful. Perhaps if Cutie Pie lived a long time ago when the world was a dangerous place full of predator animals, he would need to learn which animals to avoid. Cutie Pie lives in the suburbs. When is he really going to have a chance to have a conversation with a cow or a pig? Are animal sounds going to be on the SAT eighteen years from now? If so, I think we're all in trouble.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

It's A Boy!

I couldn't wait to hear those three little words eight months ago. I painted my baby's nursery blue and stocked up on sports themed onesies. I was so excited to have a boy!

Yesterday was Cutie Pie's eight month birthday. Da Da and I took him to the Butterfly Museum. We arrived with cameras poised, anticipating that special shot of Cutie Pie looking at one of millions of butterflies or better yet, a butterfly actually landing on our Cutie Pie. Cutie Pie enjoyed flirting with the other children in the exhibit. He didn't seem to really notice the butterflies but I'm sure he saw some. Da Da and I weren't giving up. We held Cutie Pie and stood in the sunny spots where the butterflies seemed to congregate. Cutie Pie began to sweat. His head was actually wet from sweat. We moved him to the shade.

Cutie Pie wanted to get down and crawl. Walking around in Mommy and Da Da's arms is just not his idea of a good time anymore. He squirmed and wriggled around making it impossible for a butterfly to get close. I realized that my child is no delicate flower. No butterfly in their right mind was going to fly near him for fear of being accidentally whacked out of the air a la King Kong.

We managed to get some pictures of Cutie Pie then decided to call it a day. On the way home, Cutie Pie reached another special milestone. He learned how to spit. He's been blowing raspberries for a while now but today he took it a step further to full on spitting. He spit and spit and Da Da would turn his head from the driver's seat in the car and he'd make spit noises back at Cutie Pie then they would both laugh and laugh. I felt like a foreigner in my own family.

I guess this is what it means to be the mother of a boy. Cutie Pie is sweaty, active and loves to spit. It's a boy!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

Vacation!

We took Cutie Pie out of town for the fourth. It's now the ninth, a full five days later, and I am just getting back into my routine.

Cutie Pie had a blast playing with his relatives. He loves an audience and is always happy to show off his latest achievements. This weekend he showed off his speed crawling and standing up skills. He even had a five-second-stand-alone moment. Happy Independence Day!

The best thing about visiting family is that everyone wants to take care of Cutie Pie. They want to feed him and play with him. Mommy and Daddy get a break from the daily routine. I should have used my new found free time to catch up on paperwork but instead I foolishly spent my luxurious freedom relaxing. It was a great. I had a real vacation.

The weird thing about visiting relatives is that everyone wants to take care of Cutie Pie. So, since I'm not his primary caregiver every moment of the day, I really start to miss him. My life is completely wrapped around my baby and I feel guilty giving myself a break. I know, I know, he's only eight months old. I'm sure I'll get over it.

Every trip out of town ultimately ends. You pull into the driveway and the Neverending To-Do List starts running through your mind. There's so much to do; unpacking and laundry and cleaning and paperwork that went neglected all weekend. It's taken me five days to get through my list but I can finally say I'm caught up. Just in time for another weekend!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

The Amazing Changes Motherhood Brings

After I had my Cutie Pie people were always asking me what surprised me most about motherhood. I think they were expecting me to talk about the amazing feeling of love and joy that Cutie Pie gives me. I feel an incredible sense of love for my child but it didn't surprise me at all. I have always felt that kind of love from my own mother.

I feel like I was adequately warned about all the typical motherhood changes. You will never sleep again. Your house will be messy and you won't care. The baby will take over your entire world. You will change your mind about wanting to be a working mother. You will change a million diapers. You will do laundry every day. You will sing nursery rhymes until you lose your voice.

But there were a few things that I was not prepared for. There are three things that actually surprised me about motherhood.

1. I am a shameless booger picker. Cutie Pie has had a runny nose since January. Of course he does not know how to blow his nose or wipe his own nose. It is up to me to keep him booger free. I think it is so sad when I see a baby with snot running down his face. I don't want Cutie Pie to be one of those snotty little babies so I take my job as booger remover very seriously. It doesn't matter if we are at home or in public. No boogers left behind!

2. It turns out that I really can get ready in fifteen minutes. For years and years it took me hours to get ready to walk out the door. I never thought it was possible to shorten my leave-the-house-routine. But, as it turns out, not caring what you look like can make a world of difference. As long as the baby has not thrown up on me since the last time I changed my clothes, I am good to go! I usually try to throw on a little make up too. I haven't completely given up.

3. I can pop out of bed wide awake. I really can. For the longest time I thought I was just one of those people that has a hard time waking up. I thought I just needed a few hours to wake up and I couldn't be helped. It turns out that all those years I was hitting the snooze button I was using the wrong kind of alarm clock. The only way to wake me up is to the sound of Cutie Pie noises through a baby monitor. He just makes a peep and off and running across the house to investigate.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/