FREAKING OUT

I'm having a real hard time with something lately. I'm finding it hard to be a conscientious parent without being a crazy parent. Where's the line between protecting your kids and going overboard?

www.safemama.com freaks me out. None of the diapers that we have ever used on either of our kids is on the list of "good" diapers. Same goes for baby wipes. And soap. And toothpaste. And sunscreen. And probably a million other things except I stopped looking because I started to get nauseous.

To clarify: I've started only using Seventh Generation chlorine free diapers and wipes. (side note, except it shouldn't be a side note at all: WHY AREN'T ALL DIAPERS CHLORINE FREE?). We use Cetaphil Soap for Addison (under the recommendation of her dermatologist... except was he only suggesting it because of the whole pharmaceutical/doctor/money CRAZINESS that is happening more and more lately?) and California Baby for Aiden. Actually, California Baby did make the list. Not the "great" list, but the "good" list. Seriously. Yippee. We use Tom's toothpaste, but somehow even friggin TOM'S isn't good!

Why are the cheap, easy to buy products so bad for us? And it's true- if you compare the ingredients of Johnson and Johnson to California Baby, it's totally obvious which is better. Even better and more conscientious packaging. But why are companies even making these products if they're not good for us- and more importantly- our babies?!

So climbing deeper into the rabbit hole, I started looking into toys and toxins. OH MY. Let's just say that "Toxic Toy of the Week" (I didn't even know there was such a thing) is Toy Story 3 Barbie- and yes, we own one. Apparently, these tested PVC positive in her hair and packaging.

I'm scared to buy anything for my kids anymore. Scared to feed them anything that comes from a can. Scared to put anything on their skin. Scared.

CEREAL!

So, you know they suggest introducing rice cereal anywhere from 4-6 months. I waited til 6 months with Addison, and decided to wait just as long with Aiden. Tonight while he sat in his bumbo watching me make dinner, I just saw it in his eyes (and in his voice- he was telling me he wanted some!) that it was time to start him on solids.

And boy, did he LOVE it! Of course he made a few "yucky" faces, trying to figure it all out. But once he got the hang of it, he fussed for more, and smiled after he got it! He took larger and larger bites, and hardly any missed his mouth- there was no spitting it back with this kid!

So funny how I felt like the time was right... and it totally was.



Forgive the lack of pics. We took a million, but none of them really turned out :-(

Get Well Soon...

Grammi, Grandpa, NaNa and PaPa...

SHEESH!

Grammi has been sick for almost a week now. Sounds like she's better, but now the rest of the crew is sick!

PaPa has what Grammi had.

NaNa has hurt her shoulder and only has use of one arm.

Grandpa went to the ER with side pain and it looks like he has kidney stones!

They can't seem to catch a break. We had to miss Thanksgiving with them this year :-( Just wanted to mention this to you guys- in case you might want to pray, wish well, send good thoughts... you know- all the good stuff.

Get well soon, guys! We love you!

Santa's message TO ADDISON

Check this out... how cool! And yes, Mike and I did decide to put Addy on the "Naughty Watch"- her temper tantrums just might stop with the threat of Santa not coming!

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/guest/c0bbVgohKxfKp7jTSWYfCg

She's already watched this twice today... and tomorrow "Elfie", our elf on the shelf will appear in our house!

Christmas Tree is up and lit, Christmas Lights are up on the house, YAY!

I'm going to wrap some gifts tonight, too. And address Christmas Cards.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Thanksgiving

This is was a Thanksgiving of firsts for me.

First time I prepared everything I needed to prepare the night before.

First time using all fresh, all organic ingredients in my dishes.

Well, except for my oreo pie, but it was the first time I've ever made an oreo pie, so I'm still putting it on this list.

First time I was late arriving to a Holiday celebration.

Because...

It was the first time I've ever had a 3 and a half year old fashionista to get ready for said Holiday! Aahhh!! We started getting ready at 10:30, were out the door close to 1:00. Let's just say Addison's high emotions were the cause of delay.

First time Melissa's hosted Thanksgiving at her house. Great job, Melissa. (incidentally, guess who's started blogging? MY SISTER! Welcome to the neighborhood, kid)

First time drinking Mom's spiked punch. And it was GOOD.

First time I didn't finish decorating our tree before bed time. I'm going to bed with a half decorated tree, and I don't even care.

First time I have someone very small helping me decorate, who just happens to have a very strong opinion about how she wants things to look.

So it's my first time to let go of the idea of perfection with the tree. It's perfect now because the decorating is truly a labor of love between me and Addison.

First time Mike didn't help decorate. He sat on the couch, hand on his belly, and watched the UT A&M game.

First time I've had the "what are we grateful for" conversation with Addison, where it held any meaning... She is thankful for me, her Daddy, her brother, her Barbies, Sleeping Beauty, and nice fluffy pillows. I am thankful for her, Mike, Aiden, bubble baths, Elf the Movie and coffee.

Hope you all had a beautiful Thanksgiving with the ones you love. We get to do it again tomorrow with Mike's family! Can't wait!

Aiden is SIX Months!

I can't believe that six months have already passed. Seems like he's been in our lives forever. At the same time, it seems impossible that it's already been half a year.

Have you EVER seen a sweeter baby? It's impossible. He is, hands down, the sweetest ever.

Quote of the Day

Earlier today, when I posted yesterday's quote, I had no intention of updating today with another quote. But Addison just says the funniest things... and I just happened to be near the computer so I wanted to jot it down before I forgot!

Addison, in response to my complaint that I'm tired: "Well, you've just got to GET UP, GO GO GO, and WAKE UP! You can be tired tomorrow!"

No joke, those were her exact words. She seriously makes me laugh. And motivates me, too. (I'm not so tired anymore)

Quote of the Day (yesterday)

Addison (to me): "You gotta put some make up on, girl."

Privacy, Please

Addison has decided to reject wearing clothes when she's home. She'll still wear panties, and occasionally her sparkly shoes- that she now owns in red, black, silver, gold, pink and RAINBOW, but clothes are a no-go.

I have the cutest picture of her in her chosen ensemble: skin, panties and shoes.

Since I'm not sure who exactly reads our blog, I'm not at all comfortable with publishing photos of our naked daughter on a website that is not secure. I've been meaning to make our blog private for a while now, and decided there's no better time than now.

So, if you'd like to continue reading our blog after we make it private (a couple of weeks, I'd guess), shoot me an email at danceemotions@yahoo.com to let me know. And I'm sure there are a couple of people who I've never met in person- friends of friends or something, and that's totally cool! THERE BETTER BE PEOPLE I'VE NEVER MET IN PERSON OR ELSE THAT MEANS I'M THE ONLY BLOG STALKER OUT THERE.

So, yeah, send me an email and I'll get you on "the list". (don't you feel special already?)

THIS Baby

It seems like Aiden is changing daily... not even daily... hourly. It's crazy. It's happening so fast!

So he's now sitting up, reaching up for me when I come to pick him up, he grabs EVERYTHING within his reach... just so much more interactive.

I LOVE HIM!

Jumping Baby

Finger Paint!

Thanksgiving Feast at School

Addison

Well, it's time for me to be real with you guys.

Terrible Twos? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No.

TERRIBLE THREES. Threes are awful.

Addison is awful.

Not all the time, but more often than occasionally.

Here's just one example of the horror that is dealing with Addison's temper tantrums. Today we were LATE (not just late, but LATE) to school because she threw a fit over the following things (not just one fit, but a combination of hysterics, making what ultimately became one giant, morning long tantrum):
Her panties. "NOT THOSE PANTIES! CINDERELLA PANTIES!"
Her clothes. "I WANT A DRESS!"
Her shoes.

Whoa. Time out. Let's visit this subject a little more. HER SHOES. I bought her some new tennis shoes earlier this week- super cute, super sparkly, Addison loves them. They have laces, not velcro. I CURSE THE LACES. Because, apparently, Addison knows how to tie shoes. This is what she tells me, anyway. And I am NOT ALLOWED to tie them. She can do it herself! She's REALLY GOOD at twisting the laces around each other over and over again! She wore them to school on Wednesday. After battling over the stupid laces while getting ready at home, I thought that once we got to school that she would let me tie them, but nope, she threw a massive fit in the parking lot at the mere suggestion of me tying her shoes. I took her to her class, explained to Ms. Carol the situation and was glad that she was the one who had to deal with tying the laces, not me. So when I went to pick Addison up, guess what? Her shoes were STILL UNTIED. "Because I can tie them myself", Addison told us. Ms. Carol said she tried, but that Addison was adamant... she could do it herself. Ms. Carol even confided in me that she was thinking that one fall or trip over her laces was probably all Addison would need to allow an adult to tie them. But of course, she didn't fall or trip once. On the playground, in movement class, nope, the laces never got in her way.

So this morning she threw a fit over the shoes. Because I told her that if she wanted to wear them that she would have to let me tie them. End of story.

The list of the awful things I expected of Addison this morning, resulting in her completely justified and rational hysterics (ha) is wrapped up with socks and hair combing.

So, pretty much everything we needed to accomplish just to get out the door was something worth melting down over. Our poor nanny. She was witness to 30 minutes of complete insanity this morning. (not the first time she's seen this side of Addison, unfortunately)

My mom said to me tonight "who's the adult?"... I guess in an effort to remind me that I have the power in these struggles. Oh, I'm aware that I have the power. That's part of what makes these outbursts so frustrating. I mean, she doesn't get away with behaving this way... she sat in time out this morning for a LONG time until she calmed down and agreed to friggin wear socks and different shoes, not the tennis shoes. That was the deal. She had to wear socks and her pink shoes. She resisted, resisted, RESISTED, and then FINALLY she settled down and wore the stupid socks and shoes. Same goes for her outfit- she threw her fit and then finally agreed to wear the outfit I chose for her. And same with her hair. When she settled down, she let me comb it- the very thing she kicked and screamed about 10 minutes earlier... me combing her hair. I did let her wear her Cinderella panties, though. It's not like it's my way or the highway all the time. I do compromise with her sometimes.

My mom also suggested I give Addison choices, letting her feel like she has some say. Yeah, I totally do that and it never works. I usually give her 3 choices: 3 shirts, 3 skirts and 3 shoes. And she still will throw a fit over a dress hanging in the closet that is nowhere near appropriate for the weather or occasion.

Man, I feel like I'm about to lose it! Like, really lose my sanity. She is testing me in more ways than one... and I feel like I'm failing!

ETA: Of course I LOVE Addison more than I ever knew was possible. And as crazy as these tantrums make me, she also does things that make me proud daily. She's a great kid. Really, she is. :-)

Haunted Gingerbread House

Addison made this cute little gingerbread house with our nanny Kat. Just wanted to add it to the blog before I forgot :-)

It's the little things...

So I was just folding and putting away laundry and was thinking about my kids, my life, and decided that I needed to stop and put my thoughts in writing, because I know that I will never remember these little details of our life without somehow preserving them- and what better place than here?

1. Addison says the funniest/ cutest things these days. For example, if she sees something that she really likes (a new Barbie for example), she will say "OH. MY. GOODNESS. LOOK. AT. THIS. HOW CUTE!!"

2. She also says "it's MY turn to talk!" when she's throwing a tantrum (tantrums are taking place DAILY lately) and I'm trying to reason with her. "It's YOUR turn to listen!!"

3. She is SO. PARTICULAR. Everything has to be just right, or it will no doubt lead to a hysterical fit. Barbie's hair has to be just so, and "just so" changes from day to day and I never, ever know what "just so" means. She will completely melt down over the craziest things (again, changes day to day). Today she had a 15 minute meltdown because I poured her juice "too high", whatever that means. Oh, and she is super, crazy, big time obsessed with her clothes...

4. Which leads me to this story. Today we went to Target to get her a new jacket. This cold front quickly alerted me to the fact that she doesn't have one that fits! So, we were at Target and there were 2 other moms in the girl's section, and they both were really enjoying the interaction between me and Addy. I would pick a jacket out, and she would always dismiss it with a reason along the lines of "I don't like that ruffle there" or "it would come to 'here' on my leg and I need it to come to 'HERE' on my leg" or "that's not the right color purple". Then she would counter my offer with an "OH. MY. GOODNESS. Look at this! It's SO cute!" long, fancy Holiday dress. I'm afraid that she's turning into a high maintenance fashionista very quickly! (For the record, we finally DID agree on a jacket, and she has pre-selected her Christmas dress. And I am certain she will not forget this.)

5. She's finally LOVING Aiden! Oh my gosh, it's the cutest thing EVER. He barely laughs for me, but he seriously gets the giggles when he is playing with her! He loves to sit in his swing, and have Addy run back and forth in front of him. He gets the biggest kick out of it! He also thinks it's funny when he grabs her hair. She thinks it's funny too (although the first time it really hurts her will be very dramatic. Just a hunch).

6. Speaking of Aiden. Oh my goodness he is the most precious, amazing, awesome baby EVER. His smile is contagious. He is super laid back, go with the flow, happy ALL THE TIME. I love him! (duh, right?)

7. He's finally sleeping more. He sleeps from about 8:30pm-1:30am, then wakes up again at 4:30 then 7:30. Believe me this is an improvement. I would have never thought that I'd be happy to type those words.

Oh, and also. Here's a picture that Holly took during our holiday card shoot. Look at my amazing, sweet family. How did I get so lucky?

Halloween Fun

Some pictures from our Halloween weekend: (I'll spare you the details of the weekend. But we had FUN!)