Bring on 2012

Today is New Years Eve and as I write this I can’t help but look back on 2011 with awe.  It was an amazing chaotic wonderful year!  2011 brought me my beautiful daughter Nalani, my boyfriend finally got the courage to propose, some wonderful new friends, and many other things.  2011 taught me what it means to unconditionally love, to forgive the little things and work on forgiving the big ones.

As our family prepares to greet 2012 I can’t help but wonder what surprises are in store for us this year.  All I know is as long as we have our health, our happiness, and each other we are in store for another wonderful year.

May your New Year be full of blessings and joys this coming year!  Happy New Year!!!

Petite eater

Nalani was born a healthy 7 lb 14 oz.  Her weigh ins placed her in the 50th percentile right up until she learned the joys of movement.  From the moment she started to army crawl across the floor to now as she learns to walk she dropped from the 50th to the 20th percentile.  Because of this drop we have made monthly visits to her doctor to keep an eye on her weight and to make sure she is still gaining.

During one of these visits we were given papers to go get blood work taken to make sure nothing else was affecting her weight gain.  Now I don’t like getting blood taken, but to have to pin your child down while she screams so that they can get blood out of her tiny little arm….I will never complain about my bloodwork again.  Thank goodness all the blood work came back just fine.  My little girl is petite.  We make our monthly visits and get her weighed to find out each month that she has put on 1/2 a pound each time.

This used to concern me.  Was I feeding her enough, was she getting the right nutrition, am I doing something wrong??  Until I stopped and thought back to when the slow weight gain began.  Nalani is a mover!!!  Sitting still is not in her repertoire.  From the moment she wakes until her naps and bedtime she is on the go.  The joy she gets just chasing me around the house as I go about my day makes me laugh.

I feed her 3 meals a day and provide her with snacks as well as her formula (she is still under 1).  She eats as she wills and I won’t force her to eat anything.  I want her to have a good relationship with food not a negative one.  By making sure she is eating healthy and getting 3 meals a day I have noticed a difference in my eating habits as well.  I make better choices now as what she sees me eat is what she wants to eat.  So if I don’t want her to have something I don’t eat it in front of her.  Don’t get me wrong we have made some bad food choices but those are not a daily occurance.  Maybe 3 times a month we have a “treat” and eat some McDonalds or the likes.

So now when we go in to get her weighed I know in my own heart that no matter what the scale says she is perfectly healthy.  My active little girl would not be the bright eyed bushy tailed little trouble maker that she is if she wasn’t getting enough to eat.

Troublesome crawler

Nalani is crawling and almost walking.  She is into EVERYTHING and even if you think it is out of reach think again!

While wrapping presents for Christmas she was a handful.  Got to the point that I put her into her activity saucer, which since she learnt to crawl hates.  Got the wrapping done and everything out of her reach or so I thought.  I took her out of her activity saucer cause the screeching was unbearable and let her rip up some scrap wrapping paper while I put the presents away in another room so that she wouldn’t get into them.  Upon my return to the living room I find a content Nalani quietly playing.  I didn’t hear any paper ripping so was wondering what she had that was keeping her so entertained.  I walk over just as she is about to put SCISSORS into her mouth that she had managed to get off of the computer desk.

Needless to say there was some screeching, crying, and going ons when I took them away from her.  Lesson learned, if you think they won’t be able to get them put them somewhere even more inaccessible as they are monkeys and will find a way.

Joys and tribulations

I find myself looking back on the year and trying to come to terms with the fact that I am returning to work in less than a month.  I never thought I would enjoy parenthood as much as I have.

Nalani is growing into an amazing (troublesome) little girl.  Watching her eyes light up as she learns something new is the most amazing thing to witness.  She is into everything and loving every minute of it, until you take it away.  I decided to start this blog to capture my thoughts as she grows.  Hopefully it can provide some insight and humor into those OMG moments.  You know the ones, changing a diaper and suddenly things flow.

Feel free to comment and share, we are all learning as we go even you parents who have more than one child learn everyday as no two children are the same.