Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Big-ish Girl

Dear Olive,

You're 9 months old already. I know everyone says time flies and "they grow up so fast," so I don't know why I'm so surprised at just how fast. You're starting to stand up all over the place, as long as there is something for you to hold on to. Sometimes you try to let go and balance but it doesn't last very long.

You're teething like crazy, but nothing is coming out yet. Let's see, I wanted to do these posts for you so you could check in on your milestones one day.

You've been saying ba ba for a couple months already, but now you're saying da da, la la, and wa wa. BUT you really don't know what you're saying so it still doesnt count as a word I guess. You are a crazy adventure seeker, trying to climb up and over anything you can. You're a danger to yourself and I have to watch you every second or, BAM you smack your head! You also are so funny when you are trying to stand and reach something. . . you will stand up on your very tipy toes! I wonder if you're going to be a ballerina?!?!

Your food repertoire is getting more advanced too, however I noticed you're taking a disinterest in vegetables. Uh oh. I have all this frozen baby food I made for you and you are so NOT into it. You want finger foods you can feed yourself! So tonight I gave you spaghetti with ground turkey and I liked it because it made you really full I think. You actually left some on the tray which is unusual. You love cheese toast in the morning too. Yum.

We've been doing lots of stuff out of the house and I think we are both happier for it. Today we did baby signing story time and it was great! And you love traipsing through the sand at the beach.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Birthday Parties Scare Me

I'm just going to be honest. One of my biggest fears about being a mom are all the birthday parties you have to go to. With friends I have who have older kids, it seems like it never ends. I've tried inviting them to things and the answer inevitably always ends in, "We have a kiddie party to go to that day, sorry."

More presents, more money, more time, more madness. Luke has one day off a week. Hopefully by the time Olive is old enough to want birthday parties and go to her friend's parties, we won't be so strapped for quality time together.

This article is really nailing it on the head for me: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/03/birthday-parties-for-kids_n_917732.html?icid=main|welcome|dl12|sec1_lnk3|221278

The quote that gets me is this, "I heard a story about a mother deciding not to do party bags," Doherty said. “All the kids at the party got upset and one said, 'This is a ripoff!' The party girl burst into tears."

Are you kidding me? Do we really have to train our kids at such a young age to be consumed with PARTY BAGS and the 99 cent crap that goes into them? Can we all agree that if nobody did them, nobody would miss them?

Olive's first birthday is going to be here before we know it. I decided already to do something small and intimate with just our family because I'm so scared if I invite anyone else I will be starting a cycle of everyone having to do something for everyone else and create pressure and stress. We'll get her a big cake and hopefully she'll get messy in it and I'll take a million pictures and put off the pressure until she's a little older. Maybe somehow we will avoid it altogether, but I guess it's just part of being a mom.