Baylee, Please Go to Sleep

Most of the time, I blog about the happy milestones of motherhood, but sometimes you have a rough week and you just gotta vent about the tough stuff.

As happy and fulfilled as it makes me, parenting is by far the toughest job I have ever had. I'm clocked in 24/7 and my boss only speaks 30ish words of English. ;) I try to be as confident of a mother as I possibly can, but I second guess my parenting choices all the time. One of which, is bottle feeding my 15 month old. 

I know, she's still a baby, but when every parenting book and article out there says that bottle weaning at 12 months is best, (due to risk of teeth rot and it being harder to wean at older ages) it's really hard not to take that as "you're doing something wrong". My kid likes, no, loves her bottle. She has taken to drinking water or juice out of cups just fine, but when it comes to milk it's bottle or nothing. I have tried, on multiple occasions, to give her milk in a cup (even tried warming it up!) and she takes a few sips, looks at me like I'm crazy, and throws it down. Meh. So, just skip the milk and give her dairy elsewhere? That would be great...if it weren't for that sweet face asking "Baba, Mama?" before nap time and bed time. She knows exactly when it's coming and looks forward to it. How can I deny her?

I figure she won't have a bottle when she's in Kindergarten, but I'd really like to have her off  of it sooner than that. ;) The struggle is real. Do I cut back one bottle at a time and ease her off? Do I just throw them all away and say "sorry 'bout it!"? Or do I wait until she's closer to 2 and either A. Weans herself. or B. Can understand better that the bottles have to go "bye bye." (Along with her beloved paci at that point...Dear Lord.) Also, even if I cut back one at a time, the middle of the night one is going to be our real challenge. Which brings me to Mama Struggle Numero Dos...my kid still wakes up at night.

It's 5:45 and I hear "waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" on my end of the monitor. Still half asleep, I look at the monitor's screen and see my sweet little girl standing in her crib. "Baylee, please go back to sleep." :( Nope...she wants milk and won't go back to sleep until she gets it. Sigh. 

I have been trying to night wean this child since she was 9 months old. Forget about it. It has gotten better, but she rarely sleeps completely through the night. She used to wake up twice a night without fail, now she wakes up once and usually not until after 5:30am (unless woken by something else earlier in the night.) I have tried so hard to find other ways to soothe her back to sleep or allowing her to self soothe, but the only thing that works for Baylee is to kick back 4 ounces of milk. Then, she drifts right back to sleep all by herself without a struggle. Us tired moms give in to stuff like that when the ulterior is a frustrated baby screaming for two hours because all she wants is her damn bottle. Truthfully, I don't mind getting up for her, but what I worry about is it continuing in to her toddlerhood and becoming a really hard to fix habit. Double meh.

Mom Struggle #3 is the tantrums. Holy Mother of God the tantrums! Why doesn't anyone warn you that as soon as your happy baby turns a year old something wicked clicks in them, and suddenly they get the idea that if they throw themselves on the ground screaming they just might get their way?! What is this nonsense?! Luckily, I have the sense enough to find an element of humor in my daughter's ridiculous behavior, so it's rare that I lose it, but every once in a while enough becomes enough. One more whine and I feel like I might send her to the moon! When days like this happen, I know the key is distraction, distraction, distraction...and if that doesn't work...nap time for both of us!

So, fellow parents, this is where you come it! Comment below if you have any advice about bottle weaning, night waking, or tantrums! Also, what are your biggest struggles when it comes to parenting a toddler? 

Despite all the though stuff, after I put Baylee to bed at night, it's always the fun and laughs we had that comes straight to mind. She really is a good girl, and I really am so blessed that God entrusted me to raise this amazing little creature. Besties for life.

Until next time! XoXoXo

Fun At the Pumpkin Patch!

Yesterday, we took Baylee to the pumpkin patch for her first time. To say she had a blast is a complete understatement! This kid was covered in dirt from head to toe when we were done, and had a huge grin to match! :)

 The place we went to had so many pumpkins that it was almost overwhelming. Baylee was beyond excited, and as soon as I put her down, she took off in to the field of orange "balls"! ;) 

We let her run around and touch everything. True toddler heaven. She was shrieking with delight and beating on all the pumpkins like drums. It was absolutely hysterical.

Someone had formed some pumpkins into an Instagram-worthy heart, so you know I couldn't resist sticking my kid in the middle. :)

We played some more, and Daddy showed her how to stack two pumpkins. She was very impressed. 

After a couple of mommy-and-me shots, it was time to get down to business. Brian was very particular about his pumpkin picking, so I told him to pick one for me too. Baylee knew exactly which one she wanted...and it was just her size!

We also couldn't leave without letting Baylee see the cows (animals are always her highlight of any trip), and taking our pictures in the face-cut-out board! Silliness is next to Godliness right?

We found a smaller kids pumpkin patch next to the cows that had a bunch of tiny pumpkins, so before we called it a day we let Baylee run around a bit more and pick up all the little pumpkins. It also made for a perfect family photo op.

Baylee saw our pumpkins when she woke up this morning and was excited all over again! We have been working on saying "pumpkin" all day...so far, we have "bump". I'll take it! :)

Until next time! XoXoXo

Two Years of Love!

This past weekend, Brian and I celebrated our two year wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that two years have already gone by since that wonderful day! We are so very blessed! :)

In lieu of gifts this year, we decided to go do something fun together...just us. Although we go to Disneyland all the time, we never get to enjoy the big kid rides or night life, so we thought it would be fun to stay in a hotel down in Anaheim and take advantage of being kid-less at the parks! It was just like our dating days all over again, and I loved every single minute. 

We stayed at a small hotel walking distance from both parks. Once we got down there we had some time to kill before our reservation, so we got some wine, and then went on the two roller coasters inside California Adventure. It felt so good to be on rides faster than Fantasyland speed. ;)

Our reservations were for Ariel's Grotto. I have been wanting to eat there since it opened, so I was stoked! We were seated outside and had a spectacular view of Paradise Pier at sunset. We had the prettiest sourdough rolls I've ever seen, yummy drinks (Mai Tai! Woohoo!) and a 3 course meal. My true review...food is absolutely amazing but a little overpriced, and the service sucked really bad for Disney. Maybe it was an off night for them? Either way, I'm glad I got to experience it, and eat enough Mahi Mahi that I felt like I needed a wheel chair! P.S. If anyone can tell me what that mystery veggie on my plate is, you get a gold star! I didn't have a chance to ask our server.

Dinner included VIP seating at the World of Color show, so after dinner we got a few more drinks and enjoyed some music at the Mad T Party before it was time to be seated. I hadn't seen WOC in a good 5 years, so it was a completely new show and very well done! I'm not going to lie, I teared up a bit with the Walt Disney tributes...I'm such a sap. :) 

California Adventure was closed once the show ended, so we ran over to Disneyland to do one last ride. What do you choose at 11:00pm on a humid night? Splash Mountain, of course! 

The next morning was our actual anniversary. We woke up bright and early to go have breakfast at Disneyland. We were exhausted, but once we had pancakes and caffeine, it was time to bust out as many big kid rides as we possibly could. The park was so busy, though that we only managed to go on Space Mountain and Indiana Jones! A nice couple walked by us and gave us their fast passes to Haunted Mansion Holiday, so we went on that before we decided to bounce out. The crowd was crazy and we missed our girl something fierce!

After we picked up Baylee and went home, we spent the rest of the day relaxing. We BBQed burgers for dinner, and continued the tradition of drinking out of our toasting glasses from our wedding. This year, hard apple cider was our champagne. :)

We definitely had a wonderful weekend. I'm so very lucky to have a hubby who loves me so much and is also my best friend! 

Cheers to you, my darling...here's to two years down and forever to go! 

Until next time! XoXoXo

12-15 Month Must Haves!

Having a toddler running around is quite the workout, but it has been so much fun. I love the new stuff I find to add to these lists that keep Baylee entertained and safe. Here are my must haves for these past three months.

1. Playtex Straw Sippy

 Baylee recently decided that she hated her regular sippy cups and has only taken to anything with a straw. These are the best because they're cheap, easy to clean, and the lid closes so that it doesn't leak in your diaper bag.

2. Stride Rite Shoes

 They're a little pricey, but Stride Rite makes the best shoes for early walkers. Also, because they have many locations inside malls and shopping centers, you can bring your little one in and have them measured so that you don't have to guesstimate what size shoe to buy. For instance, I would have never known that Baylee has a wide foot if I hadn't taken her in!

3. Wooden Blocks 

 These wooden blocks have quickly become one of Baylee's favorite toys. She loves to sit and try to stack them (she can get 3 stacked now!) and loves when I make tall towers for her to knock down. I have also started to point out some of the letters and pictures on them, and she loves asking me "dis?" to find out the name of whatever is on the block. Smarty pants!

4. Safety 1st Magnetic Cabinet Locks

 We have the old fashioned locking mechanisms on our cabinets right now and they do their job, but I can't wait to invest in these! My grandparents have them, and they work like a charm. The best part is that the cabinets can't open at all, so baby's little fingers don't get smooshed. Also, you can turn the magnetic part off if baby isn't around to get in to stuff. Amazing. 

5. Crayola Jumbo Crayons

These crayons are the absolute best for beginning artists. Their chunky size makes them easy for little hands to hold and hard for them to break. Baylee loves to have color time with her coloring book or just a piece of paper. Now, if only I could get her to stop eating them. Meh.

If you have any favorites of your own for this age range, make sure you comment and let me know! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Until next time! XoXoXo!

Baylee's 15 Month Update!

First order of business, as you can see, the blog got a much needed makeover! I was so over the pepto bismol pink, and I felt like it needed some simplicity. Also, "Tiny Baby Tibbetts" isn't such a tiny baby anymore, so we needed a new name. :) It's a work in progress for sure, but so far I am so happy with how it turned out.

Next, my little wild one is going to be 15 months old on Thursday and I can't even. She has just blossomed in to quite the little miss the last 3 months and it has been the time of our lives watching her learn and grow. This is definitely the most fun age yet!

Age: 15 months

Weight: 23 lbs (55th percentile)

Height: 29.5 inches (24th percentile)

Clothing size: Some 12 month stuff still fits her, but mostly 18 months

Teeth: Eight total. Four on top and four on the bottom!

Favorite foods: whole wheat eggo waffles with peanut butter, bananas, blueberries, peas, carrots, turkey, chicken, and bacon. We are still very lucky *knock on all the wood*, and she isn't much of a picky eater. She loves everything we have ever given her, but some days she eats more than others. It all depends on her mood.

Favorite Words: Baylee has a good 30 plus words now and is adding some every day like a little parrot! Her favorite things to say are: "bup" (cup), "dog", "rash" (trash...she loves to throw stuff away. Gotta watch that one!), "dank oo" (thank you) and "awwwff" (soft...when she's petting the dog...or your face). We also practice our animal sounds. She has dog "*pant* woof woof", owl "hoo hoo", and lion "raaaaaaaaah" down pat! :) 

Favorite activities: Walking around outside picking up rocks and leaves, wagon rides, going to the park, and hiding in the house to play "peek-a-boo"

Least favorite activites: The car seat, the high chair, the stroller...anything that keeps her from being a crazy toddler on the loose!

Favorite toys: All her books, all her stuffed animals, and her toy iphone 

Signature moves: Putting her phone up to her ear and saying "hiiiiiiiiiii" usually with a southern accent (don't ask me why), taking rags and rubbing the walls and floors (we start early in this family lol), pointing at the dogs and telling them to "dit" (sit),  and taking all her dirty clothes out of her hamper and putting them in her toy box.

We have so much fun together, and I love how lovey and cuddly she is! She's full of neck snuggles, hugs, and kisses, and has reached the age where she can cuddle on the couch at night and watch a Disney movie. It's so precious, but she's also a little cling monster. She loves to follow me wherever I go, and if she's tired or cranky she just wants to be held. All 23 pounds of her....I need a massage! ;)

She's sleeping from 8:00pm-8:00am regularly now with only a few 5:00am wake up calls here and there, but I give her a few ounces of milk in a bottle and she goes right back to sleep. Speaking of, we use a cup for water and juice, but we still use a bottle for milk. I don't have the heart to pull it from her just yet, and to be honest I haven't quite figured out my strategy on how to do so. Any suggestions or tips?

Baylee loves reading all her books, which makes me one happy Mama! Right now her favorites are "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", "10 Little Lady Bugs", and "Room on the Broom". I can't wait to get some Christmas books out and to add some new ones to our collection! I know she will love them.

It's been so fun to play and bond lately with my happy girl! She is so smart and blows my mind every day. She knows where the eyes, nose, ears, and mouth are on a face and can follow simple instructions like "go give this to daddy" or "go get your cup". Every time she does something new my heart just gushes. Today, she kicked a ball for the first time after we worked on it all weekend. The little things make me so proud! :)

I love this chick more than ever, and I am so excited to show her all the magic of the holidays over the next few months! It's going to be a blast!

Until next time! XoXoXo