My finicky eater

So I generally try not to "air my dirty laundry"... but today... I'm sending out an SOS... because I'm nearly at my wits end.

 

This morning started off, just like a normal morning... we didn't go to church (we REALLY should have!!) and about an hour after Callie woke up she went to the snack cabinet and started searching for just the right snack.  Naturally I assumed she was hungry for her breakfast (her typical schedule is: wake up, have a bottle and watch Elmo, play for an hour to an hour and a half... have breakfast)... so I prepared her oatmeal and a fruit... just like nearly every other morning.  After I sat her in her high chair and we had blessed our meal, she refused to even take so much as one bite of her food.  This isn't uncommon, but usually, with a few tricks or distractions, I can get her busy enough to not even realize she's eating as I spoon feed her.  This morning wasn't like every morning.  This morning she wasn't having it... not even one single bite.  And she's started this new thing where she either spits out food if she does take a bite... or swats at the spoon heading her way.  I offered her the spoon, to feed herself... and she threw it on the floor.  She simply wasn't going to eat.  Phillip had given up... he said, "fine... she doesn't want to eat... let her go play, but she doesn't get any snacks".  I couldn't give up.  My little 10th percentile for weight baby NEEDS her nutrition... so I continued... attempting every trick in my book.... but to no avail... she wouldn't eat.  At this point Phillip had left to pick up an employee from the airport... so it was just Callie and I.  She made her final swing and fruit and oatmeal ended up all over Phillip's stereo and our walls.  I was done.  She was a mess and I was done... so I walked away... leaving her (in a safe place!) crying in her high chair.  I was so frustrated!!!  I sort of expect that as she gets older she will become a picky eater (I feel like all of my siblings, including myself, were)... but not now.  She's never been a good eater... with the exception of my mother, she'll eat ANYTHING for my mother.  It's a constant battle to get anything into her little body...

 

So I guess what I'm asking for now... is advice.  I know many of the readers on here are mothers... who have been through more trying times than what this is... but who have learned things that I have yet to learn.  So I'm hoping that you will take the time to share some of your wisdom with me.  I'm planning on spending some time researching what I should do.  I'd love for eating to not be a battle for the next 18 years... but at this rate... I think I'll prepare for the worst!  Callie really is a good baby... all other aspects of life are so much better than I ever could have hoped for, so I realize I'm blessed to have eating as my primary challenge.  But still... I thought I would seek advice... from anyone willing to share.

 

After Callie and I had had our little "tiff"... and she and I were cleaned up from the splattered oatmeal... we spent some time snuggling and reading books.  It's amazing how forgiving these little ones are, when she turned around mid-book and gave me a sweet little kiss and a hug... I knew she loved me more than anything.  I still feel awful for leaving her in that moment... but I just needed a little space for a minute to re-gather myself.  I love that little Noodle bug to pieces and I just want the best for her... nutrition included.

 

I'm sure most of your mom's out there are thinking "oh... if you only had a clue, Kristin!"... but thanks for reading and responding anyway :).

 

We're planning on having a fun afternoon of playing and maybe even going swimming at the public pool just one last time before it closes for the season. 

 

 

Here's a fun photo... as a thanks for reading :)

 

 

Callie riding our weenie statue on our front porch...

 

 

 

The roses from Phillip...

 

 

Love and sweet Noodle pie kisses....

From my Laptop...

Yes... its true!!!  I'm officially technologically up-to-date, thanks to my hubby, and am the proud owner of a new laptop!  Of course, since Scoular gets to choose Phillip's work laptop... I really had no say in what laptop I got.  He asked me what I wanted in a laptop and my first comment was something like, "can I get a pink one?"... he immediately said no... and asked if I had any other requirements... I didn't, so I let him choose whatever he wanted.  He enjoys "gadgets"... so he had fun shopping around for this one.  Apparently my new computer is the thinnest one on the market... so it's super light and very portable.  We didn't do an Apple (Mac book)... simply because... well, I guess I just didn't want to.  Anyhow... I'm still getting used to it and often find myself checking facebook on my phone during naptime before I realize my laptop is sitting on the kitchen table just itching to be used.  Phillip took the time to install and set everything up for me when I was at my mother's house in Derby working.  It was really nice to come home to it all ready to go!  The only thing I had to change was the astronomy photo he had spent so much time finding (sorry Phillip!) to a photo of my sweet baby girl!  I think the only other person I know that may have a difficult time deciding which to keep as a background would be Phillip's father, Steve (your son is SO much like you! <--which is a good thing).

 

Here's the photo Phillip chose:

 

 

 

 

Here's the one I chose :)

 

 

 

 

So... not a lot going on at the Van Court household this weekend.  Though we got a wild hair and decided to repaint our entry way!  Nothing terribly exciting though, just the same color in a different sheen.  The original was painted by the builder... and while the color is beautiful and neutral... it was flat as flat can be and showed every scuff, scratch and Callie-print.  The Mr. Clean magic eraser could only take away so much... and with the new coat of paint... our home looks so clean!

Mind you... Phillip is painting now while I type (he's quite the perfectionist and doesn't think I'll do a satisfactory enough job for him... which I'm fine with :).

 

We did get over 4 inches of rain today... and so... we HAD to go play outside in it!  We got totally soaked... and here are a few photos I snapped.  A special thanks to Auntie Emily who got Callie this adorable raincoat for her birthday... we certainly put it to the test and it kept my baby quite dry!  She could have used some rain boots... but we didn't have any, so barefoot it was!  You'll notice... big Brother Sneebie wanted nothing to do with the rain, and despite us all being out in it... refused to come outside.

 

 

I considered trying to set up a photo shoot... using the tripod... whenever the rain let up... but it NEVER let up!  Here's Miss Bitty playing with the tripod.  (Yes we run a nudest colony here in Salina... I just love my naked baby!)

 

 

Just stepping out into the TORRENTIAL downpour...

(LOVE her in Pigtails!)

 

Checking it all out!



My Sweet Baby girl...

 



Daddy was so happy for rain that he came out and played in it too!  The only requirement was... we COULD NOT sing "rain, rain, go away..."

Then... after drying off... and after naptime... we played in Pinto beans!  I was telling Phillip about "how great of a deal" I had gotten on them when he just sort of turned to me and said... "You realize I could have gotten you an entire bushel of corn or milo for her to play in for $8!!!" (Phillip wanted me to mention that this is an ALL TIME high price) Whoopsies... suppose I should've gotten that!  I told Phillip that perhaps next summer we can get her a sandbox and fill it with one of those grains!

 

Anyhow... Callie had a BLAST playing in this... she probably just sat in the tub for 30 minutes and then got out and played for another 30... it was SOO fun!

 

 

And after a very busy and exciting day... Her needed a little snack... so broccoli and carrots with ranch with Daddy!

 

Please also note the beautiful roses in the background of the photo... Phillip brought them home today "just because"!  I sure do LOVE this boy!  I have a pretty great life! 

 

Anyhow... enjoy the photos all... I suppose I'll go back to the super exciting Saturday night we're enjoying here in Salina, Kansas (it's actually quite wonderful, really!).

 

Love and Kisses to All!!!

... a continuation

So this is a continuation of yesterday's blog post... just more photos from the month of July... I'm considering posting them on facebook also (a few of them)... but they change it so often I can't figure out how to make an album... ugh, oh well... maybe Alex can help me :)

Here's Bitty baby swimming with her Gramsie at Dripping Springs in the party cove!!!  Her was partying hard y'all!!

Aunt Deb had a habit of lining up every one's smart phones around dinner time... or really... whenever she could... it's pretty amazing only 3 non-iPhones!

Also... can you tell which one belongs to the mother of a toddler?  The one with the largest, safest case they make!  3rd from the left, pink with a white frame.  This case has saved my phone from many drops by Callie... it was a perfect Valentines Day gift from my hubby :)

What a baby!  Her LOVES her "duck, duck, duck"... she can't go to sleep without him, and when something terrible happens... she NEEDS him!

She's just generally not fond of playing with guys... of any age.  Perhaps it's because the girl has 6 auntie's between the ages of 17-28... but we caught her playing with her Great Poppa a couple of times!  It took nearly a week... but she warmed up to him!

Hannah (my cousin) has become quite the make-up artist... so it was make-over's by Han night at the lake!  Stef looks gorgeous!

And they think the teenagers are bad!!!  Look at them... caught in the act... probably texting... probably to one another!

PS... notice the rose in Great Gremom's hair... Callie's picked it for her on a walk!

Oh yes... the Nertz game that lasted until the wee hours of the morning!  This game is incredibly addicting... and SOOO fun!  If you've never played... we must do it!

Bean's getting some love from his favorite "Mauntie Nano"... Auntie Dan and him have been in love ever since the summer of 2010 when we went to visit Phillip's best friend Andy McCann in Chicago and she "weenie-sat" him...

Just another day down on the dock... with her Boston Red Sox baseball cap on and her knock-off "Ray Ban" sunglasses... she's SOOO trendy :)

 So worn out from Swimming... so stopping for a drink out of her little monkey pouch.  Her loves "monkas"!

And reading one of her favorite books of all time... from Nana and Poppa Urso, for Christmas... Callie anxiously awaits for you to read the page where the doggy gets a soccer ball for Christmas... it's adorable.  If you don't read quickly enough... she she will skip a couple of pages for you. Such a baby!

Alright... I still have about 10 more photos I'd love to share... but perhaps we'll wait for yet, another post (I'm sure the suspense is killing you!)... but naptime is nearly over and I've got a couple more things I need to cross off my list before Miss Missy awakes!

Thanks for reading!  Love y'all!



July 2012

So much has happened this summer... we've been so many places and done so many things that I simply could not write about all of it in one post... so instead... I'll post photos (plus... who wants to read all of my ramblings anyways!).

My hott date to my 10th High School Reunion (in which I was one of the primary planners for)... how proud I was to walk through those doors with this guy on my arm ;)

Most of you (my family that is) should remember Sarah Ann Rush (Hostetler).  Her and I were practically inseparable in high school (except for swimming that is, she was a big swimmer).  She came to celebrate our 10 year high school reunion by staying with me at my parents place.  She brought her adorable little man Malachi with her... it was great to catch up and to have the chance to have our little people play together. (Yes I am in my pj's... sorry about that... also, Yes those pj's used to be my mothers :)

Me & Callie with Sarah Ann & Malachi

I just thought this was so funny!!!  There is apparently something (most likely a ball) under the couch that they both wanted! (also notice the spilled cheerios... probably from the Bug)

First time in the lake with her Gramps... Her LOVED it!!!

Please notice the "lifeguard on duty"... no matter how much he says he doesn't like "da sis"... he knows she's one of our "pack" and doesn't let her go too far from his sight...

Helping Gramps make some big decisions for Spirit... Nap time, snack time and paci's for everyone!!!





Quite a trio they are... a gorgeous trio that is :)

And so well coordinated for the 4th of July!

Mother, Gremom (Juanita), and Aunt Deb

Callie being introduced to "the Mayor" of Grove, Oklahoma... already schmoozing with politicians ;)

These are Gremom and Poppa's very good friends.

I'm not entirely sure why she sticks her hands in Grams' mouth... but her like to...

Great Poppa!  This is no time for horsing around... I have a boat to drive!!!  Callie enjoying learning about the boat just like her mommy and Gram's did!

Our July 4th crowd...

(I apologize for the photo lighting... my flash was aimed a little to low to light up the group... I'm still learning)

Mother, two of Dan's friends, Phillip (working on getting seated), Father, Aunt Deb, Gremom and Poppa,

{Front row} Alex, Dan (holding Callie), Cousin Hannah, Carly (Hannah's friend)

....and on that note... nap time is over... so we'll leave this blog as --- to be continued :)

Love y'all!



Cheyenne

Where did July go?  How did I miss writing on here for an entire MONTH?!?  Whew... what a wild and crazy, extra busy month we had!  I'm not even sure where to start (after uploading all 485 photos I took for the month!)... so we'll start with Cheyenne, Wyoming.

I'm sure most of you know, Cheyenne is where Phillip was born and raised and where his parents, Grammie Lou and Grandfather Steve Van Court still live.  It's BEAUTIFUL there... and perhaps the best part of all was that... it was not 110 degrees there!  The weather is more like mountain weather (at least to me!) the highs for the day rarely broke 90, and it cooled down to at least 70 in the evenings and through the night.  Since Phillip is from a climate like that... the poor guy HATES this super hot summers we have here in the middle of Kansas.  What's even more interesting is watching his mood changes as the summer gets hotter and hotter.  It just really wears on him... which is why a trip to Cheyenne in the summer is  MUST.  I think for him... and just for the family in general.  We spent so much time playing outside in Grammie and Grandfather's gorgeously landscaped with super soft grass (unlike ours here where the blades will cut your feet all up)... it was truly wonderful.

Not to mention the food and company were great as well ;).

One of the main reasons (among many) we went out this last week of July was for Callie's cousin Maverick's first birthday celebration.  What a blast that was!  It was so fun to watch the two of them play together.  God certainly knew what He was doing when He blessed the family with two little people just a couple of months apart!

Anyhow... there is so much rambling I could do... but I will simply let the photos tell the stories of our trip.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So we drove through the night (by choice... it's just easier to have her sleep and drive straight through) Thursday, July 26 and arrived at 3:30 am Mountain time in Cheyenne.  After a little morning nap and a lot of lounging around, we finished Friday night by going out to Frontier Days (what's the point in going all of the way to Cheyenne in July without going to Frontier Days?!?).  Callie had the perfect outfit... here little Miss Missy is... anxiously awaiting our trip to the Park.

Bitty's first time on the Carousel... Mommy and Daddy went too! (her was a little terrified!)

Driving around Daddy, Grammie and Grandfather is pretty fun!!!

Mommy and my Bitty Baby... I love the dry, non-humid climate!  I have great hair days!



Callie "crashing" Mav's first birthday.  She is saying here "Mav... let me show you how to do it!" And poor Mav is like... "help me Uncle Phil!!!  This girl is in my truck!"

(I stole this photo from Grammie Lou's blog ;)

 Kisses for her cousin Mav...

Going to the park (of Daddy's elementary school!) SOOOO fun!

...I think the best part of this photo is that Callie has Maverick's snack cup and He has her juice!

And what would a trip with the cousin's together be without a bath together!!!  They're so cute! And they actually played together!  Love this! (Bean's is trying to help lap up the water the two of them splashed out!)

Well... I didn't quite finish this during nap time... so I'm trying to do the final touches while Callie is out playing in the downstairs rec room...  I'm off to see what chaos she has created on her own!

Love, kisses and licks!