Don't Judge Me

This was originally going to be a post about my weekend in a nutshell. But this changed after I read Helen's post over at Every Day Stranger.

My weekend was busy but I feel like I accomplished a lot. I had a friend come visit me from the mainland and I got to the gym twice. All while I managed to mother, cook dinner, go see a movie with my friend (We saw Revolutionary Road, I don't recommend it), go out for appies, getting home at 1am and getting up multiple times with Aaron.

So yesterday Aaron had his first ever Happy Meal at McDonald's. *GASP* Call Social Services I am the worst mother in the world. This isn't his usual fare. At the moment he is picky as hell and teething and doesn't have much of an appetite. I had to drive my friend to the ferry and Eric hadn't fed him lunch before putting him down for a nap. And it was lunch time. I didn't think he would make it back home for lunch so I racked my brain as to what I could feed him that he would you know actually eat. Grilled cheese sandwiches are a hit and so are fries. Therefore I made the executive mommy decision to feed my 11.5-month-old son McDonald's. And it meant I also got to pick at his fries because my small fry can't eat a whole small fries to himself. Thus satisfying my craving for McDonald's French fries and not having to order some myself. (Which doesn't bode well with he whole weight loss thing/healthy eating thing.) So we sat at McDonald's and I ripped up his grilled cheese and fries into bite size pieces and we sat there for a good hour while he fed himself. I also got myself a strawberry sundae and shared it with him. *Oh my*


Aaron didn't eat more probably more than half of his Happy Meal but he ate. I also got him apple juice for his drink. For the most part Aaron eats healthy food. Right now feeding time has become a bit of a challenge. He likes to feed himself and rarely will let us spoon feed him. So bite size pieces it is. Its frustrating meal times it takes forever it seems. But it is just one aspect of parenthood I just have to chug on through. My son is an independent lad and I don't want to crush this in him. He likes to do things his himself. I let him spoon feed himself stuff that will stick to the spoon. It is so cute to watch him put the spoon in his mouth upside down and sort of suck the contents off and he will proceed to the chew on it. As a parent I need to pick my battles meal time isn't one I want to battle. I wish it was simple. In my mind it's a simple concept. If your hungry, your eat. This isn't so with a baby/toddler. I don't want my son to resent meal time and not look forward to it. So we praise him lots. I don’t' want meal time to be a game either and have a 3 year old that needs to have meal time be "fun" all the time. I think we'll get meal time down with a positive attitude and patience.

For the most part of Aaron eats healthy nutritious meals. A grilled cheese sandwich in our house is served on whole grain bread with cheddar cheese. Being that he is teething and picky it’s challenging as to what to feed him. He likes cheese, toast and bananas. Some days that’s all he will eat. He also likes yogurt seemingly of any variety. It can be flavored or plain, sweet or tart. He likes my yogurt but I typically eat fat free yogurts which he shouldn’t be having. I give him full fat yogurts as he needs the fat for his development. Today to trick into eating I made him “mommy’s” yogurt. I mixed in some frozen berries with his plain yogurt which was sour as hell, but it was pink like mine and in the same bowel, so he ate it. He does get natural sugar in fruits and fruit juice which he doesn’t get much of. I am not a sugar Nazi but I don’t feed him crap like Fruitopia and Kool-Aid ( I am sure one day I will.) Sugar is a treat. When I bake I let him like the icing off of the beater and he doest like this. Doest he ever protest when you take his precious beater away from him.

Back to battles, one battle that I am picking is diaper changing time. He hates it. As soon as I lay him on the change table he freaks out. He doesn't do this with Eric; only me. I try singing to him, or blowing raspberries on his tummy but that can't go on for the whole change. It's so bad that I have to pin him down or strap him onto the change pad. This is frustrating. When you have a child they control your life in one sense or another forever. The trick is to not let them know this.

I think part of parenting it to repeat what your parents did as that's what you grew up with and what was emulated to you. My dad let me walk all over him and let me get away with murder. My mom ruled with an iron fist and was too harsh on us. I don't want to be either. I don't want to be a push over or have Aaron fear me. I don't want him thinking he is going to get the spanking of his life if he screws up. That’s how my mother raised us. Thank God my dad raised me from the time I was six-years-old. I just wish he had laid the law down more. It's balancing act. I want my son to respect me and listen to me. I don't want him to be the kid in the grocery store freaking out at the check out because I say no to the candy bar. But I don't know how to do this and this scares me. All I know is my parents. Sometimes I feel like the world’s biggest softie with Aaron, then the biggest meanie the next. I'll figure it out, I just don't know how.

Well this is a wrap my busy weekend has left me tired and with a clogged milk duct.

Look What New Food I Found

Aaron is sporting a nice rash at the moment. When he does I let him roam around naked to air out. This isn't uncommon in our household. Yes, I am aware that there will be accidents but we have hardwood floor that is as old as dirt (read as old as this house which is 40 to 50+ years old) and accidents aren't anything that can't be cleaned up. Tonight we were letting Aaron air out after his bath and Eric walks into the living room where Aaron is standing an playing and says to me "Does that look like poo?" Our living room was poorly lit at the time. I walked in and I said "yup its poop." It was decided I would clean Aaron up, diaper + dress him and Eric would clean the mess on the floor. *Warning* If you're easily grossed out or have a weak stomach STOP READING NOW.

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REMEMBER YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED CONTINUE SCROLLING AT YOUR OWN RISK
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As I was cleaning Aaron up, which I thought to be poop on his bum and the bottom of his feet (as he had been standing in it) I noticed the smell was still lingering after I slathered him is Desitin which is quite fragrant and masks the poopy smell that lingers when using unsecented wipes as we do, when I looked under his neck and saw a brown orange chunk. I then looked at his hands and I saw the tell tale brown smears and it dawned on me that what suspected was true; Aaron had discovered a new source of nourishment. Yes my son is closer to a monkey than I thought. He eats his own poop. Naked time will now be closely monitored. I just hope he doesn't figure out how to take off his diaper.

Wordless Thursday

Frustrated...

i am very frustrated at the moment for various reasons. The mian reason is Aaron and his eating habits. Feeding him has become daunting and cumbersome and not a task that I look forward to. It is almost impossible for Eric and I to get him to eat unless we a) make a game out of it; b) give him something to play with/distract him; or c) give him finger food while we shovel food in his mouth when it's open. This has been going on for the last month or so. I don't want to make everything a game I am not that kind of parent. I know he is only 10.5 almos 11 months but I want him to kow that meal time is for eating not dicking around. He always seems distracted when we feed him. If there is nothing on his tray he is looking over the tray, on the floor, at the cat or anything but food. I am at my wits end and I am frustrated and I think he senses this. Tonight I got 2 or 3 bites in his mouth and when there was nothing to disctract him he started to cry and I didn't get him anything to play with. So I picked him up and put himin his crib as mommy needs a time out.

I am just getting over a GI flu/sinus cold. He has slept liek shit the last few nights and I am tired. Being sleep deprived makes me cranky. He'll do well for a few nights or a week then all of sudden he'll regress. WTF? I dont' speak baby. I see no signs of any other theeth coming in, he isn't sick as far as I can tell. I am at my wits end at the moment. I am going to try to feed him again. It's cereal with yogort he likes this. I don't always want to give him sweet stuff or that's all he will eat. Ugh.

Note: There is no Monday Measurements today. I didn't get to the gym while I was away and I have been sick which means no working out. My weight has been the same for the last week. Good enough for me.

PS - if any seasoned parents out there have any advice for the feeding please enlighten me.