Eatin' Fool!

Sophia loves, loves, LOVES her solid foods. She has done so well with all of them so far. I haven't had time to blog each one this week, so here's a snapshot of what she's had...

Peas

If you remember, peas were a HUGE hit with this little girl.

Green beans

She also really, really likes green beans. They are probably her favorite so far.

Squash

Her initial impression wasn't that great.

She ended up thinking they were pretty good by the time all was said and done.

Carrots

Eh- she wasn't so sure what to think. By the second time she had them, she thought they were pretty delicious.

Bananas

We made our own! One banana equals FOUR servings of baby food. It's silly not to take the time to make it. It took maybe two minutes.

And, she LOVES them!

Soon to come... sweet potatoes, avocado & more fruit!

Peas, please!

After Sophia more or less attacked our food this last week, we decided it was time to step it up a notch and give her something other than cereal. I had originally planned to start with homemade avocado, but I wanted her to be able to eat with her friends at daycare, so we chose to give her what the daycare offers first before adding on our homemade veggies and fruits.

Our first choice? Peas!

First bite... not too sure about this.

Next bite... "Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm," said Sophia!

Toward the end, she was definitely digging the peas!

Happy, happy girl!

This little lovebug is excited to show her friends at school what she can do now! One thing's for certain... this girl LOVES to eat!



We Have a Sitter!

Sophia is sitting up now! Granted, she's still a bit wobbly & I don't trust her to do it unsupervised, but she sat for long enough, unassisted, that I think it counts! She can sit anywhere from 30-90 seconds without toppling over. Pretty good for a gal who's not quite 5 months old.

Such a big girl!! I cannot even begin to wrap my mind around how fast she's growing!

* Disclaimer *

She is not crying in these pictures. This poor little girl inherited her momma's allergies. Her little eyes and nose are awfully runny today. :'(



My CFY Experience

A year ago, I was interviewed for a position I knew little about. I received an email from a company I had been stalking since March, and they needed an SLP for a position in Corning. Even though this location was a good commute, I applied anyway. Within the week, I was interviewed on the phone, and a short time later, I was interviewed in person. I was hired the same day as my interview.

I did not know what I was getting myself into.

On July 5th, I reported to work. There I met two co-workers who were also new graduates... and who were also starting that day. Simply stated, we were the new rehab team. Yes, that's right, three new graduates were expected to build a rehab department virtually from the ground up.

On my first day, I told the company administrator that I was expecting in January. Expecting to be fired immediately (haha), I was shocked when she responded with enthusiasm and excitement. A maternity leave would be no problem. Whew! What a weight lifted from my shoulders.

There are many details I am not going to share with you for privacy purposes, but, it was a VERY tough ride. Over the course of the first month, more staff members were added to the team because the rehab department was growing so quickly.

I continued to be the only SLP until November. My colleague and good friend was hired to cover my maternity leave. He ended up treating several residents that I couldn't see because of contact precautions and whatnot. Luckily, our caseload is now large enough to support two SLPs. Having him around has been such a blessing. He is always picking up my slack.

My clinical fellowship year saw a transformation of a rehab department. It saw a caseload nearly quadruple in size. It saw the turn-over of three (or more) dietitians (which is a big thing in my field). It witnessed the death of many amazing residents. It was able to withstand state inspection. It was blessed with the birth of my daughter. It has brought many close friends into my life.

I have laughed. I have cried. I have been frustrated. I have felt blessed. I have felt like giving up. I have felt accomplished. I have felt defeated. I have felt proud.

On this side of things, I feel relief.

We did it! Not only did we transform a rehab department that so desperately needed it, but I grew so much personally... as a therapist, person, and mom.

I wish I could fully describe everything... but, that's not really necessary. Many of you already know the nitty gritty details.

I am proud of my accomplishments. I am taking this moment to pat myself on the back.

Thanks for letting me brag!

"I can feed myself."

Little Miss Independent has been eating solids for a few weeks now. She has recently decided that she can, and will, feed herself. What are we going to do with this super independent girl?

I love, love, love the stinker expression she's giving here. She knows she's a mess!

This same sweet little girl had to help me blog tonight :-)

Can you tell this sweetheart is loved?



Before and After: Living Room Edition

FINALLY! Our living room is now picture-worthy... and we've not even lived here for a year! That's pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Anyway... here's a glance at our living room.

Before:

Those curtains were so disgustingly dusty... they smelled.

Such a gross pale seafoam green.

After:

I love all the baby toys in here!

There are a few odds & ends left to do. But, for such a long & awkward room, it's not too bad!

Now... if we can ever get curtains hung in the kitchen, I will blog about it.



Sophia Claire: Four Months Old

Wow. Has it really been four months since this little girl blessed our lives with her presence here on earth? Our little alien has become such a human in the past four months. She has changed SO MUCH and has learned even more.

Some of her new tricks include...

Grasping toys. As you can see, she doesn't let go... not even when she's sleeping.

Cause and effect. She knows if she pulls a toy down & releases it, it will vibrate.

Growling. She sounds like a gremlin.

Shouting matches. If she is talking & someone tries to out-talk her... watch out! She can and WILL get louder and louder.

Eating solids. She is a pretty awesome eater! She loves her daily cereal.

Babbling. She talks... and talks... and talks. Loudly. Do you see a trend here? Yes, this speech-language pathologist has a very vocal daughter.

Hugs. She is starting to hold on when we hold her. It's almost like she's hugging us back. It is absolutely precious... and makes it much harder to go to work.

Kisses. Open mouth & slobbery. We can thank her friend, Chloe, for that one! Chloe is exactly a year older than Sophia & they adore each other. They swap kisses all day long. I like this trick ;-)

Painting. She is quite the artist! She has painted several pictures at school.

Baby Bjorn carrier. She is finally a fan! She loves to ride along on Daddy on our walks.

Her toes. She has found them! It's pretty cute too. I love watching her pull them to her mouth.

Laughing... like a super-villain. It's too cute for words.

Rolling over. She's pretty good at it! I have yet to see her roll from tummy to back (like a lot of babies do first), but she's definitely mastered back to tummy.

Being awesome... but, I didn't have to tell you that. ha!

She has many, many, many more tricks, but these are what I could think of off the top of my head. She has her well-baby appointment next week, I will post back then with stats! Until then... have a good week!



Chicken Fajitas

Since moving to New York, we no longer can enjoy good Mexican food. There are very few Mexican restaurants here, and the ones that are around aren't very good. So, we tend to crave Mexican dishes. Well, I came up with a concoction that is absolutely delicious. In fact, Andrew has requested it that we have it once a week. When I told him "no" because I didn't want us to get burned out on it, he requested that we have it every night. Ha! Yes, you read that right. Anyway, they are SUPER easy to make. Let me share...

Ingredients:

1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced (rings are fun!)

1 can chicken breast, shredded

1/2 cup grated pepperjack cheese

1/2 cup salsa

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 dashes hot sauce

Tortilla shells

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Put bell peppers and onions into pan. Drizzle with olive oil and splash with hot sauce- mix well. Saute until tender, although don't wait until they are thoroughly cooked. When they are becoming tender, add the chicken and salsa- mix well. Cook until the chicken starts to brown and the vegetables are cooked throughout.

Add mixture to a toasted tortilla shell. Top with pepperjack cheese. Serve & enjoy!

This recipe makes four servings.

From start to finish, I would say this meal took me 20 minutes to make. The most time was spent cutting vegetables. It is SO simple, and as the working mother of a new baby, I need SIMPLE!

Hello, solids!

Well, the day has arrived. We introduced solids this evening. She has been hinting for several weeks that she is ready for solids. I ignored her pleas. Finally, this weekend, she not-so-subtly let us know that she is READY! So... I sucked up my pride & decided that I wasn't going to make her wait until closer to 6 months. She definitely knows what she wants. She is pretty much a champ when it comes to eating solids!

While she napped, I got everything ready. Ironically, this adorable bib arrived in the mail today from a dear high school friend. It says, "I'm a hoot"... how appropriate.

This is the most grown-up she's looked thus far. Bittersweet!

First bite!! She loved it! We did not get the horrible reaction we were expecting. She acted like she was born to eat from a spoon... maybe that's why she hasn't fed well until now.

She's still liking the idea of this. I think her eyes are as big as the owl's.

Ok... now we get a sour face! For as much as she likes eating from the spoon, it was NOT going fast enough for her.

So, after taking a bottle, we tried again.

She devoured the entire bowl in minutes. She did SO well! This speech pathologist mommy sure is proud!

Full belly = happy baby.

Wow. How did she get this big?!



Mother's Day

Now that I'm a mom myself, I have learned a thing or two about Mother's Day.

Mother's Day is not about the card, gifts, flowers, or restaurants. Mother's Day is not about the recognition, sentiment, or production. Mother's Day is not about commercialism.

Mother's Day is about...

... her.

Seeing her eyes light up when she hears my voice... watching her smile back at me... hearing her super-villian laugh when I do something that she thinks is funny... snuggling her close when she's sad... rocking her softly to sleep each night... putting forth my best effort every single day (even when I'm "too tired")... seeking God's will for her life.

She deserves to have a mom who puts her family first... and strives to be a good wife... and works hard to be a great mom... and seeks God's will for her own life. She deserves a mom who gives everything she has to the job unconditionally. She deserves a mom who will pray for her, with her, and with her dad. She deserves a mom who will love without holding back. She deserves a mom who will teach her to find the joy in the little things... a mom who will model life lessons for her. She deserves a mom who reflects Christ.

She deserves the world.

Today, we dedicated Sophia to the Lord. We made a promise to seek God's perfect will for her life- no matter what that may be. Publicly, we promised to provide for her, teach her, and set an example for her to follow.

Today, we promised to give parenting everything we have.

To me, there is no more perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day. You see, today is about her and what I can do as a Mom to provide her with everything she deserves.

Today, I thank God for the sweet blessing of motherhood. I pray that I use every tool He has given me to be the best mom I can be.