It's Not the Carrots. It's the Cook.

Staley actually really likes carrots.  She just doesn't like the homemade baby food carrots that I made.  I was feeling so proud about being frugal and healthy and domestic when I made my own baby food for Staley. When we started with the homemade carrots, Staley gagged and cried and spit them out.  Naturally, I thought she just didn't like carrots.  The homemade sweet potatoes went over well, so we moved on to homemade green beans.  Again with the gagging and the crying.  I was curious, so I bought some Gerber's baby food green beans and carrots...and Staley ate them without a single gag.  I've concluded that some of my homemade baby food is not as smooth and creamy as the store bought, and apparently Staley does not like the texture.  Hopefully we can slowly introduce some more texture into her diet.  Otherwise, Zach and I will be eating a lot of pureed vegetables for dinner.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

Sure I love raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles (okay, maybe not this one) and warm woolen mittens as much as the next guy.  But I also love...

sweet potato smiles...

matching hats...

and this sweet, sweet baby girl.

Give me Staley's sweet smile over a brown paper package tied up with string any day of the week.  

Protecting? Or Serving?

I'm just curious.  Which is it?  When an Illinois state police officer is hiding out in an obstructed driveway along a straight, flat stretch of country road at 7:00 in the morning, is he protecting or serving?  When he pulls over a 30-something woman driving a mini-van (yes, a little faster than the posted limit) with her 6 month old child to drop off before heading in to work (at a children's hospital), is he protecting or serving?  Is it the protecting or the serving that requires him to politely request $120 or a visit to the Pekin courthouse?

For the record, I was speeding.  I will pay my fine.  My $120 will not make the slightest difference in the sad and sorry financial state that Illinois is in.  But maybe, just maybe, it will help keep a few more state troopers patrolling those scary and dangerous early morning country roads so that they can continue to...which was it again?  Protect?  Or serve?

Photo Shoot

Staley had her first modeling job this morning.  My daughter is going to be famous!!  Although 'job' might be too strong a word since she didn't get paid.  And 'famous' might be stretching a bit since it was a picture for the library's 'Read' campaign.  But if the picture of Staley reading a book with me turns out, it will be on display at the Eureka Public Library.  So perhaps she will be famous...but just among those Eureka residents who frequent the library.

Staley: 1, Ellen: 0

I understand that Dr. Ferber is a sleep specialist and that his method of teaching children how to put themselves to sleep is scientifically proven and effective.  However, I don't believe that Dr. Ferber is a father, because his method can be just plain heartbreakingly difficult.

Staley has been so good about going to bed at night without a fuss.  (Hope I'm not jinxing us by typing that sentence.)  However, she has been giving me a hard time about some of her naps.  On Wednesday, she cried for almost 50 minutes when I put her down for her morning nap.  I held out, going in to reassure her only every 10-15 minutes as the Ferber protocol allows, and she FINALLY fell asleep.  This morning, she again created quite the dramatic scene about nap time.  I know she was tired.  I know she needed a nap.  However, explaining that to Staley didn't really change her no-nap stance.

I tried to be good.  I tried to follow the protocol.  I really tried to be strong.  I went in at my allowed 5 minutes and then at my allowed 10 minutes.  Each time I'd go into Staley's room, she would stop crying, roll onto her back, and look up at me with her red-rimmed eyes and give me a huge, gummy smile.  She would smile at me as I told her I loved her and that it was nap time.  As I would walk away, my heart would break as she would start crying again.  So, when I went in at my allowed 15 minutes, I couldn't take it anymore.  I did the unspeakable.  (Don't read this, Dr. Ferber.)  I picked up my sweet baby girl.  I cuddled her and held her and then danced her to sleep.  (It didn't take long.)

I want to be a good parent.  I want to teach Staley to be independent and capable of calming herself, even when things aren't going her way.  I want her to understand that I'll stick to my guns and follow through with what I say.  I need her to know that nap time is nap time, whether she likes it or not, because I know it will make the rest of her day better.  But she also needs to know that sometimes I'll break the rules, just because I love her too much not to.  Well, Staley can chalk one up in her win column for today.  She did not have to put herself to sleep for nap time.  But she has been taking such a nice, long morning nap and I know that will make her a super-happy girl when she wakes up, so I guess we both win.   

She Bangs...and Other New Developments

Staley has started performing a few new 'tricks' over these past few weeks.  She is now deliberately banging two objects together to make noise.  She has also gotten pretty good at ripping a napkin into pieces, and she loves playing with crumpled pieces of paper.  Staley has also perfected her fake cough, and she has started to snort when she gets excited, which are both awfully cute.  On the not so cute side, she has also started to get upset when a preferred item (like a cell phone or a napkin) is taken away from her.  And although she now goes down for bed generally without a whimper, she has been a bit more vocal about taking some of her naps.  (As I type this, my super-tired little girl is yelling at me from across the hall because, although I know she is tired, she seems to think that a nap isn't such a great idea.)  On the plus side, at least she is learning to voice her opinions.

Banging toys is fun, fun, fun!!

And Then There Were Two

Teeth, that is.  I guess Staley's bottom front left tooth was lonely because he (she?) popped out today to hang out with her bottom front right tooth.  Now at night before bed, instead of brushing Staley's tooth, we can officially brush her teeth!

And day two of sweet potatoes was a success.

The sweet potatoes were good (as evidenced by the fact that she ate them all), but playing with the spoon and the bowl was the best part!