Food. Good.

It drives my Dad a bit crazy that I talk all the time about Addison and her love of food. But really, what good would I be if I weren't driving my Dad crazy? I've been doing it for darn close to 31 years (close to 31 years, but not yet 31 years) and, my god, I'm good at it.

So here is the latest food update.

Pureed food? No longer on the menu.

Addison often has for dinner whatever we are having. That has included: mustard-dill chicken, sauteed mushrooms, pot stickers, bratwurst, cheeseburgers, crab, shrimp, grouper, roasted sweet potato, caprese salad, chicken ceasar salad...blah blah blah.

For lunch these days she enjoys a plethora of culinary treats including: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled chicken, cheese, yogurt, mixed fruit, egg salad, last night's leftovers.

For breakfast she often feasts on such delicacies as: bananas, blueberries, yogurt, oatmeal with mixed berries, scrambled eggs, toast, english muffin and a few cups of whole milk.

No joke she eats like a three year old. Yet, she still can sniff out a green bean or piece of broccoli. Anything she does not find enjoyable gets flung from her highchair tray...Andy and I are trying to break that little habit, but are struggling. Thus, my floor always needs mopping.

I guess a dirty floor is the price you pay to have a child who will at least try anything...further proof that she is not all Neyer and has some of my genetic make-up.

Pick Me

I mentioned, a while back, that Addison found her belly button and that she throroughly enjoys finding other peoples' belly buttons as well.

Well, several months ago she was pretty intent on putting her finger in my nostril. I tried to explain to her : You can pick your friends. You can pick your nose. But you cannot pick your friend's nose.

She seemed to understand. My nostril has been left alone for quite awhile.

Maybe because she discovered hers.

Why my brother was always in charge of mowing the lawn

Today I thought I'd be an awesome wife and responsible homeowner and mow the lawn. I decided I'd start with the backyard, since it needed the most attention.
I put Addie down for her nap, broke out my "yard work" sneakers, revved up the lawn mower and got to work.
About half way through my manual labor, I got the wheel of the mower tangled up on our fence (which I have done at least once before). I killed the engine and went to examine my snafu. I decided I could remove the mower by just slipping the wheel off the wire coiled around it. While executing my plan, my m-fing hand slipped and wrapped itself around the extremely toasty mower muffler (at least my brother-in-law Rick said it was the muffler, what do I know?).
Um. OUCH.
I spent the next three hours of my day with my crispy hand under cool running water or wrapped in cold compresses. I eventually went to CVS and bought Lanacane...er, heaven in a tube.
The salve has been a godsend. It has taken the throbbing pain that radiated up my arm away. My hand is no longer swollen, and in all honesty, my big bad burn looks a little wimpy.

Morals of the story:

• Don't be a model homeowner.
• Learn to make a turkey potpie to prove worth as a wife.

Emmett & Addison

My mom has been threatening that she won't keep checking the blog if I continue to be such a slacker. I don't believe her in the slightest...Addison is like her own personal heroin, and she really can't get enough. However, there are things to report, so...

Enjoy your fix Gramma.

Addison and I have been going to and enjoying StrollerFit. It's nice to be outside, it's nice to be around other moms, and it's nice to feel my heart pumping. Addison loves the running parts with the stroller ~ I think she is going to grow up to be a fearless thrillseeker. We are missing two classes this week though. We didn't go yesterday, due to company, and we are not going Friday since we are picking Gramma up in Columbus and headed to Wheeling for the weekend. I am going to maybe attempt to go running tonight when Andy gets home...that ought to be interesting.

This past weekend our house was overflowing with one year olds. My sister Kelly, brother-in-law Rory and nephew Emmett came to visit. Emmett is one week younger than Addison, and this was his first long car trip. Rory and Kelly said the drive was fine, Emmett wasn't quite sure though. Addie and Emmett used to see each other all the time at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's house when we lived in Chicago, but don't seem to remember that they got along and liked each other. The weekend was fun and chaotic, and with both babes experimenting with their voices, it was also LOUD.

It got stressful enough on Saturday night that we decided to take a walk through the neighborhood, pushing the kiddos in strollers, and carrying roadies for ourselves.

Sunday we introduced the crew to Skyline (YUM) and visited the zoo. Emmett loved the zoo ~ translation, he napped through 90 percent of it. Addison finally really sees all the animals and loved the Gibbons, Bobcat, Gorillas and Polar Bear. She also loved being at the zoo with her Daddy.

By Monday morning, the little ones decided they liked each other and played very well together...for the last two hours of our visit!

It was so nice to have family in town, to sit and chat and to see my main little man, Emmett. We are all going to be together again in October in Disney World...and by then they should be walking. Sweet Jesus, that will be an experience.

The Great Debate

I have become more neurotic than I thought possible.


Yes, I have always had a few quirks ~ I like to go to bed knowing my kitchen is clean. When I leave on vacation my house must be spotless. I sincerely believe that cheese makes everything better. While in school my notes had to be meticulous - no cross outs or scribbles, or I'd have to redo them. I could probably make a huge bulleted list of neuroses, but it would be a bit embarrassing.
Motherhood, however, has brought my neuroses to a whole new level.


I can't stand the idea of Addie crawling around on a dirty floor, meaning I vacuum and sweep sometimes multiple times a day. (To clarify, I don't mind dust and regular clean dirt, I do mind cat fur, pieces of food, tracked in grass and insect carcasses.) My latest obsession has been her transition off the bottle to cups. The agonizing decision of which to use:

vs.

She really likes the straw cups, and I read somewhere that they were good for speech and oral development. Therefore, I bought a few straw cups and let her go to town, and she was perfectly happy.


Then I noticed that the supposedly leak proof straw cups were leaving milk all over my house, because they are nowhere near leak proof. (Don't even get me started on what milk saturated carpets stir up in me).
I also started to fret that she would never learn to hold a cup up to her mouth and drink. I talked with a few other mothers and friends, and was told it might be a good idea to reintroduce the sippy cup and take away the straw cups. I was told it might be a struggle and she might be unhappy, but to hold my ground, she'd figure it out eventually.


I held my ground for about 28 hours. The reintroduction of the sippy cup was disastrous. Addie did not want to hold it up high enough to drink from it and got super frustrated. She cried. She screamed. She threw her cup. She stomped her feet. She gave her father and mother headaches.


I tried the sippy cup again this morning and received the same response - an extremely unhappy, frustrated babe.


So I poured over the internet looking for the best solution. I talked about it with my sister. I called Andy and asked his opinion (for the 37th time). I could not find a definitive answer and I still had frustrated one-year-old.



Finally, I became that mom. I called my pediatrician. I explained to the medical assistant who was on phone duty that I had an absurd question. She assured me that I didn't (I used to use that line at work too, but I never meant it. There are alot of absurd questions out there.). Helpful medical assistant woman made me feel better. She said in their opinion there is no wrong or right way to go. She said that sippy cups are to help babies transition from the bottle, and straw cups are usually harder for babies to handle. When I told her how happy straw cups make my daughter she said "Well there's your answer. There is no use in frustrating her with a sippy cup, when she is perfectly happy with a straw cup." She also assured me that using a straw cup would not retard Addison's ability to eventually drink from a cup like the rest of the world. (For the record, I was having visions of her at her wedding sipping champagne out of a straw, because she was unable to successfully lift a glass up to drink.)

So my baby has her straw cups back. The sippy cups are stored in the pantry for use maybe one day....or maybe not.


I know, I'm neurotic. Or as my loving husband might say...psychotic.

So, um, I'm out of shape.
I decided last week that it was time to put down the remote control and the crackers (and the cheese and the pepperoni) and get off my arse and do something.
I tried out a StollerFit class on Wednesday and officially enrolled today. Initially I thought it would be a bit of cake walk ~ push the baby, walk a little fast, maybe a jumping jack or two. Boy, oh boy, was I WRONG!
This class is no joke. It's three times a week for about 90 minutes per session. It incorporates cardio, resistance and strength. Today we did Indian Drills (while pushing strollers), um, what? I felt like I was back in cross country practice...only 30 pounds heavier and pushing a baby. We also do quite a bit of ab work. Ouch. Ab work hurts. A lot. I never had good abs before, why in heaven's name am I trying to now?
Anyway, the whole point of this rambling is that I am now accountable for working out with my StrollerFit group, because there are a fair amount of you who will openly ridicule and mock me if I quit.

I am blessed with such great friends.

Almost......

But not quite!