This blogging is not off to a good start again is it. I can't believe just how incredibly challenging it is to carve out enough time to get on the computer anymore, let alone type up a blog post. If I have a minute without littles there are so many other more pressing things to do! But I constantly have ideas swirling in my head about things to write and I'm trying to keep a running note in my phone to remind me when I do get the chance. I'm still struggling to get Maddie to consistently sleep well at night so I feel sleepy a lot and prefer to take a nap with the kids as much as possible. I keep thinking one day she is going to sleep as good as Isaiah and then I'll have whole nap times to accomplish great things but until then, I just keep napping.
I know my last post was about baby food and I did have pictures taken and another baby food post planned, maybe I can still share it, but Maddie is beginning to really take off with a lot of table foods. I have been so pleased to not have to try to do a lot of different things. I can make a big bowl of oatmeal for Isaiah and feed her some as well, or macaroni, or beans and rice dishes. She even ate little chicken nugget bites the other day. I'm still giving her some baby foods I have already made up for some meals that don't seem as easy for her like the other night we had super yummy One Pan Garlic Ranch Chicken & Veggies and I was a little nervous about the carrots being too firm as she only has two little teeth so far, so I just gave her a few little bites of potatoes. She is also a cheerio monster, and loves the crackers just like her big brother.
Speaking of, Isaiah has been such a finicky eater for me for the last long while. It's been since close to his first birthday that it started, and he seemed to progressively get worse and worse about what he would and wouldn't eat. Recently though we've had some kind of breakthrough and suddenly he's trying things! And eating them even!! He's like a whole new child. It does seem to work best if he sits with me and eats off of my plate but for now I'm choosing my battles. If he will eat the food I'm okay with that. Maybe soon we can begin to work on eating his own food in his own chair. It feels crazy to say it because I know I have so silently judged moms before with picky eaters that they just must not be trying hard enough because surely the kid would eat something if they were really hungry? But I swear there were days that all he had were three muffins over the course of an entire day. Because I made them for breakfast and then he refused to eat anything else and I would not let him have more muffin unless he tried something else. But last night he actually wanted the chicken, and he was totally fixated on the dark skin which seemed totally out of character for him. But I'm so very excited to have him eating again I'm not even going to question it.
It suddenly hit me though this week that Christmas! This week is Thanksgiving which means Christmas is coming. And oh how exciting it will be with Isaiah this year! He will be big enough to appreciate so much more. I've been so in love with the whole Advent thing and I really want to incorporate some traditions into our family celebrations. But how to do Advent with a toddler? I've seen some neat ideas but I know there's got to be more out there. I know Advent begins very soon so I really need to get on this! I guess I should be hitting up Pinterest but do you celebrate Advent with your little ones? If so, how do you do it? I would love to hear about books or calendars geared toward the smaller ones.
