Chalkboard Pic and 12 Month Update!



Photo cred: Ahem... me. Also posted on Instagram @dbaitx



I tell you, keeping up with writing a blog is NOT as easy as some other mommies make it look!  I can barely find time in the day to brush my hair, let alone sit at a computer after an 8 hour day of work [sitting at a computer].  Needless to say, my posts are few and far between, but I still enjoy doing them!  Which reminds me, I still need to post pictures of her first birthday party... doh!  See how bad I am at this?!

Last night was a very lazy night for my husband and I.  I literally came home from work, sprawled out on the floor, closed my eyes, and relaxed... until a little person walked over to me and started pulling my hair.  Nap time was over.  Berlyn has this way of making any moment enjoyable and she is the best company anyone could ask for.  I have to admit though, she definitely has a 'tude going on, and it is NOT fun!  (See previous post here).  Since then, I have learned to just ignore her fits when she throws them and to not baby her when she cries for no reason (i.e. taking my cell phone away from her).  This seems to help because she understands now that I am not going to run to her side whenever her feelings are "hurt."  Her fits last for a shorter amount of time, but she does still like to push buttons.  Then again, what toddler doesn't?

Now on to Little Berlyn's schedule!  Her wake up and bed times are still the same, nothing's changed there.  However, now we feed her heartier meals instead of the ol' oatmeal mixed with pureed fruit.  For breakfast she will eat waffles, pancakes, yogurt, fruit, and sometimes this cool mom will let her have a mini cupcake :).  Since she is drinking cow's milk now, it makes it SO much easier to just pour it in a sippy cup and give it to her.  No more measuring, no more mixing, and more importantly, no more BUYING formula!  Yay!

She will typically take a nap in the morning around 9:30 or 10:00 and then eat lunch whenever she wakes up.  We no longer wake her to eat anymore (haven't been doing that for a while now).  In fact, the day after her birthday party she took a 5 hour nap.  Talk about being pooped out!  I may or may not have napped for the same amount of time she did. 

Once she's up and has eaten lunch, we will play and maybe run some errands.  I love just spending time with her especially while we go shopping!  We love Baby Gap, Old Navy, and Target!  Of course this schedule is different during the week when she is with her daddy.  They do fun things like watch Star Trek, Duck Dynasty, and Pawn Stars... yawn.  She eats dinner around 6:00 or 6:30 - usually mealoaf, turkey stroganoff, chicken, pasta, veggies, and milk.  Around 7:30 or 8:00 we will give her a bath, a little milk or juice, brush her teeth (all 13 of them), and say "ni-ni."  She will sleep until 7 or 8 the next morning.  I wish I had 12 hours of sleep every night... crazy girl.

So that about sums up Berlyn and what she's been up to these days.  What are your baby's schedules?  Does anyone else have any advice to give?!

Temper Tantrum, Much?

So, just in the past month, Berlyn has been throwing these tantrums. It typically happens after we tell her "no," or take something away from her that she shouldn't have. She will fling her whole body backwards (in this picture I had to support her upper body until she touched the floor otherwise she would have busted her head open... so dramatic), and then she will cry/whine. At her one year check-up, we addressed this with her pediatrician and he told us just to "leave the room" when she threw a tantrum and that is EXACTLY what we have been doing. It seems to be working, because she will quit whining as soon as we walk away, but I still don't want her to grow into being a bratty little girl!!

Berlyn is the sweetest, happiest, smartest baby, and I hope this is just a phase she is going through, but I can't help but wonder whether she will do this all the time or what?! Does anyone else's baby do this? How do you deal with it?! Help!

{We Have a Toddler}

Because my husband works 3 12's each week, almost every time I get home from work my he greets me with Berlyn.  The other night when I got home from work my husband says to Berlyn, "Walk to Mama!"  I was a little confused because just that morning she was only standing by herself and taking two or three steps at a time.  I digress... I stood there for a couple seconds with my arms open and she actually WALKED to me!  This is by far my most exciting moment of being her mom!

From that moment on, she would walk from the coffee table (which is actually an old chest) to the sofa, and then from the sofa to the kitchen.  I swear this chick has been planning this for dayssss and just now decided to show us what she's been up to.  I'm telling you, it is the craziest thing to watch your "little" baby actually have the willpower to walk.  It seems as though all she needed was a little time and a dose of extra confidence.  She is such a smart baby and I LOVE her to pieces!

As a side note, I still need to post about Berlyn's first birthday.  I have posted a few pics on instagram (@dbaitx) but I have most of the pictures on my actual camera :)

Until then, enjoy the [short] video of The Boo and have a great Friday night!!!

My [Almost] Walker!

Last Wednesday, February 20th, Berlyn took her first step!  I posted a picture of her on my Instagram and loved seeing all the congratulatory comments from all my mommy friends!  Berlyn started crawling just before she was 7 months old, started walking along furniture shortly after that, and now she stands alone ALL the time and takes a few steps here and there then falls on her booty.  When she took her first step I was ecstatic!  It really is crazy to watch your baby develop from barely learning how to see further than 6 inches in front of their face, to talking and then walking. 

 

With Berlyn's birthday just a few days away, this is a big milestone of hers that I will be proud to tell everyone that will be at her party! :) I am so happy that my little girl learned how to do this all on her own, at her own pace.  Well, partly at her own pace.  My husband wanted her to walk so badly that he would trap her on the ground in between the coffee table and two walk-along toys.  Of course she would get frustrated and I would save her, but that is just my husband's humor, I guess!

 

Tonight I captured her taking a few steps for the very first time on camera.  It is exciting for me to watch because as she goes to take the third step with her right foot, you can see a smile spread across her face like "I'm doing it!"  I love my baby so much.  She is growing too fast!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week is going to be SO busy for my husband and I.  Tomorrow night we will be going shopping for some last minute birthday supplies.  Thursday we will be taking Berlyn to her 12 month check-up.  Thursday night my mom will be coming over to bake cupcakes and go shopping for the food we'll be serving at the party, and Friday we are taking Berlyn to Disneyland for her birthday!  We took her when she was 8 months old around Halloween but I think she will enjoy it just a little more now that she's a tiny bit older. 

 

This little muffin is my pride and joy.  She will ALWAYS be my baby, no matter how old she is!

VINE!

Is anyone else on Vine?! I was hesitant about joining at first. The privacy settings are basically... Nonexistant. You weren't able to approve or deny follower requests and your videos are pretty much out there for all to see... But I joined anyway, and instantly fell in love with being able to see all my mama friends posting videos of their baybays!

I am so happy to say that all the hype and complaints (of mamas I'm sure) that their privacy settings SUCK got them to whistle a different tune. You can now report AND block a user's profile. This comes in handy when a weird man starts following me and I say to myself "Umm... No. You're blocked!" It makes me feel more comfortable about posting videos of The Boo (Berlynny Boo, that is). Speaking of which, I just posted a video of Berlyn being shaken by her daddy.. In the cutest way possible. Haha! Go and take a look, it's funny! :P

Valentine's Day and Birthday Month!

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that Berlyn just turned 11 months old. She has 11 teeth, can barely fit on her changing table anymore, and has decided to do away with naps altogether. I don't know if it's her teething or WHAT, but this kid will not take naps anymore! Don't get me wrong, she is a great sleeper at night (sleeping 12+ hours straight), but for some reason she wants nothing to do with napping. I can't complain though. She doesn't cry in her crib when we put her down, but she will play, laugh, bounce, and shout. She will do this for two hours sometimes... And the end result is a baby who is still just as happy as ever. Maybe she doesn't need those long morning naps anymore? Who knows...

This month is a bittersweet one for me. Valentine's Day will be Berlyn's last "first" holiday and she will be turning one in a few weeks. I can't believe that just a year ago I was just about to go on maternity leave and now here I am, a mother of a beautiful, healthy, almost-one-year-old. Life has certainly changed for the best in the past 11 months. Every month brings new surprises, new milestones, special memories. Berlyn is my pride and joy!

I also want to brag just a teeny bit that Berlyn now WILLINGLY gives her mama open-mouthed kisses. I have been trying to get her to do this for MONTHS but she would always fling her head in the other direction the second I moved towards her. The other day we were grocery shopping and I looked at her and said, "Can Mama have a kiss?" And she opened her mouth and moved towards my face. My heart melted.

Being that it's February and B's first (quarter) birthday is in a few weeks, I am now in full-fledged-first-birthday-planning mode. Her party will be Minnie Mouse themed (some ideas compliments of Pinterest), complete with a Hot Diggity Dog station and Minnie Mouse smash cake. I really don't like birthdays that are too "themey" so I decided to just go with bright pinks, blacks, and whites. Oh, and of course some polka dots and Minnie ears! I will be scouting out the perfect invitations for her party this week as well as some more decoration ideas!

As far as gifts go, I have a few ideas in mind of what I, myself, would like to get her. As for our guests, I have absolutely no clue what gift ideas to tell them! Birthdays for one-year olds are so hard!

Does anyone have any good ideas for one-year old gifts? Ahh!

Sweet Pea is 10 Months Old!

I FINALLY got around to capturing [and posting] Sweet Baby Berlyn's 10 month photo. It did take us some time but, like I've said before... It is so hard to do without someone else's help and with her being the squirmiest baby EVER.

I can't believe I only have two more monthly photos to take of her. It makes me sad that it's coming to an end, but I am so glad I did this! These pictures will be something she looks back on when she's older and she will either be 1) embarrassed, or 2) proud that she has an amazing, creative mother. I think it will be the latter. :)

Berlyn decided to smile for this picture. I think it had a lot to do with the Minnie Mouse doll my husband was holding above my head when I snapped the photo. Either way, I am glad I captured it!