Happily Ever Mock

Archives for March 2015

Promoting Healthy Eating Early

It will not come as a shock to pretty much anyone who knows me, but I am a SUPER picky eater! I don’t eat: Red meat, pork, or seafood of any kind. I rarely eat fruit and you won’t find me with a glass of milk unless it’s accompanied by a giant brownie! This is a trait I am trying very hard not to pass on to Hallie! I have been very lucky thus far! Hallie will eat (almost) EVERYTHING! 

I was recently encouraged by Chobani  and their #Chobanikids project about promoting healthy eating to share some of my tips on providing a healthy eating foundation for young children.

1. Meal Planning: I have recently gotten back in the habit of meal planning! This I feel is SO important for many reasons! First, I can make sure to plan healthy wholesome meals that we can eat together as a family. Also, it decreases the chance of us ordering Chinese take out or driving through Sonic on the way home from work! Most importantly, our grocery bills are actually much smaller because I am purchasing ingredients for meals instead of junk! Try it! It’s worth it!

2. Eating Healthy On The Go:  Hallie and I are pretty busy! We are very active in our playgroup going to story times, play dates and parties not to mention we work every afternoon, so many days we are eating on the go and Chobani makes that so easy! I love that I can grab a Chobani Tots yogurt pouch and be out the door! They are easy to open with a twist off cap and I don’t have to worry about what I’m feeding Hallie, because these pouches are full of healthy ingredients: whole milk yogurt mixed with real fruits and veggies! I love that! But, not as much as Hallie!

3. Hallie Tries Everything and She Feeds Herself:  I make sure to let Hallie try pretty much everything (Aside from the obvious no nos! ie: Honey, nuts, choking hazards, lol) and she definitely enjoys all of her food, and there isn’t much she shys away from! I give her small pieces of whatever our meal is, and most nights I let her feed herself, which she totally prefers anyway! In fact I think it is the reason we are finally now at 9 months on the weight charts! 5th percentile thank you very much!

4. Baby Signs: I think it is so important for a child to tell you when he/she wants more of something,
but also when they are finished eating. I want to make sure Hallie is getting enough, but also not to force her to eat too much! Hallie and I have been working on the signs “More” and “All done” to helpwith this! She’s getting pretty good at “all done” but doesn’t quite have “more down yet!

   

                                                        “More”                                        
    “All Done”

What are some things that you do to promote healthy eating for your kiddos? I’d love you to share your tips below!
<3 Kelly 

Snapshots from our weekend

We had a very busy weekend!

Friday our Mom’s group had an Easter brunch and let the babies play! It was so fun! Hallie and I made deviled eggs..her favorite!

 Saturday Hallie and I attended my cousin’s little boy’s baptism. Afterward there was a big party! Hallie had a great time playing with her cousins! It was also Stella’s birthday, so we made sure to get plenty of Puppy snuggles in!

Sunday we went shopping with Hallie’s Memi who came into town for Christopher’s Dad’s birthday! Then Hallie and I went to her 2nd cousin Abbey’s 2nd birthday party! Hallie enjoyed trying BBQ! This girl is just like her Daddy! Texan through and through! She kept shoving my BBQ turkey sandwich into her mouth! She couldn’t get enough! lol! We left Abbey’s party a bit early to meet Christopher so we could go to his Dad’s house for dinner to celebrate his birthday! It was so fun seeing so much family!

Can you see her little fingers guiding the sandwich into her mouth! lol Yeah she ate about 1/2 of it at least!
Memi!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend!
<3 Kelly

Questions I find myself asking my 9 month old

This kid! She always has me on my toes…always! Here is a list of question’s I have been asking Hallie lately:
1. How were you totally fine a second ago, yet throwing a giant tantrum about NOTHING right now!?  I am fairly lucky that this only happens about once a week, but seriously! The littlest things will set her off…like changing her diaper or if I stand up in the living room! 

2. How did you get egg on your butt? You can replace the food with just about anything…somehow whatever this kid is eating ends up in her diaper..I’m not sure how!


3. Why do we buy you toys when you seem to like my hairbrush, paper, boxes and plastic bottles more?  We seriously have so many neglected toys because Hallie would much rather play with random household items or try to find an escape route out of our living room where we have penned her in..I guess whatever keeps her busy, right?!
4. I just mopped the floor didn’t I? No I couldn’t have, look at it! But I distinctly remember mopping it! I did, didn’t I? Oh Lord this is practically a daily question! My floors are always trashed a minute after I mop them! Self feeding is important, but boy is it messy! Between her and the dog, I can’t keep up! Also if you come over, please know that I do clean..it just never looks like it!

5. Did you just lick me?! Yes, Hallie has a new fun game of licking mommy…I’m not sure why, but she thinks it’s hilarious! 

6. What are you doing?! This can also be followed up with “Where are you going?” This is the busiest craziest kid you will ever meet! I mean it! 

7. What’s in your mouth? I was so hoping to have one of those kids that would find little things on the carpet and hand them to me instead of putting them in her mouth…I got the opposite! EVERYTHING goes in this kids mouth! She will find the smallest little fuzz or crumb that didn’t get picked up by the vacuum and put it in her mouth! Also the dog’s hair…yeah, gross! 

8. Aren’t you sleepy? When Daddy works late, I let Hallie stay up past bed time to see him…but then we get to this point where she is delirious/crazy/loud/so sleepy she doesn’t know what to do with herself…and true story, she can outlast me! 
  9. Did I just put your yogurt in my coffee? Yes my friends! I did! I have been that tired! I meant to scoop some into a bowl for Hallie and scooped it into my mug instead….greeeeat! 
This little girl keeps me busy and makes me exhausted, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! 
<3 Kelly 

9 months of Hallie Anne

My teeny peanut, the one who was born at 4 lb 15 oz. The itty bitty thing that wore her preemie clothes for 6 weeks. Yeah… she’s 9 months….crazy! 

  • Age- 9 months! (No! If I close my eyes and hum, will it go away?)
  • Weight-  14 lb 1 oz, and guess what people!? WE ARE ON THE WEIGHT CHARTS! FInally!!! Hallelujah! (No pun intended, if you read my guest post on Our Pretty Little Girls, you know that’s what Hallie’s name means!) 
  • Length- 27 in! Taking after her daddy! Also her head was in the 40th % 
  • Size- Size 1 and 2 Diapers! We use 2’s at night. Onesies- 3 month or 3-6 Months Ts! We are starting our transition into 6 month clothes.  Pants- the waist on the 3-6 month are too big, but the length on the 3’s are too small…LIMBO!  PJs 6 month
  • Eyes- Still blue! Some days they look a little gray, but outside they look really blue! 
  • Hair- Getting longer and lighter each month! Right now it’s light brown. 
  • Sleeping- Usually 10-12 hours. About 2 naps a day.
  • Eating- 24 oz a day. And anything else she can get her hands on! She wants EVERYTHING mommy eats! Loves yogurt, pasta, bread, rice, chicken, veggies, avocado, turkey, berries and puffs! Daddy has also given her fish and beef, which Mommy doesn’t eat, but she liked it! 
  • Milestones- Crawling and pulling up on EVERYTHING! Clapping! Waving! She can even walk holding on. Getting pretty close to doing it on her own  Loves singing and dancing. Still no teeth! 
  • Words she can say: Hi, Hey, Mama, Dada, Bye Bye and “Ey-ya”- Which means “Stella” because she will shout it at the dog! Or any dog for that matter!
  •  Memorable outings- Playgroup, Fort Worth, Visiting Auntie Callie and the boys
  • Favorite toys/activities- Peek-a-boo! She actually learned to do it herself! She will hide her face in the couch until we say “where’s Hallie?” then she pops her head up! It’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen! Prayer Bunny which we call Luna bunny. Still loves her turtle which we have named Dewy, Taggie elephant and princess dolly.  Also: Puppets, especially Kermit! She loves books! A girl after my own heart! We read before bed every night! She got a Children’s Bible for her Baptism, and we always do that before bed with a prayer. Also loves the rhymes we do at story time! Particularly (Tick Tock,Horse named Ron and Patty Cake!) Loves to play with Stella.  DANCING! She loves to shake it! Especially with Daddy! She also really enjoys listening to music. Clapping and Waving! WALKING with help! Seriously it makes her sooo happy! Loves dressing up! Beads and shoes! She is SUCH a social butterfly and loves to play with her friends! 
  • Nicknames- I call her sweet pea, peanut, peanut butter, sweet girl or Hal…Daddy likes to call her Daniel son when I put headbands on her…but other than that sticks to a generic sweetie or cutie!
  • Funny moments- When I am eating, she like to open her mouth and get close to mine…I guess she thinks I am going to “baby bird” her the food…lol not happening! Peek-a-boo! 
  • Looking forward to- Easter and  Cherishing the rest of this first year! Love my baby girl!

    The Many Faces of Hallie: Diva

    This girl really does love dressing up! She is my little Diva already at 9 months! I snapped these with my phone yesterday (excuse the photo quality)

    Heading to her 9 month check up this morning! Stay tuned for an update! 

    Must Have Monday 6-9 months

    Something crazy happened over the weekend y’all….

    This crazy wild baby….turned 9 months old! I just cannot believe it! It’s totally not okay with me! 
    We go for our 9 month check up tomorrow, so I will make sure and post an update Wednesday, but for now I thought I would share some of the products we couldn’t live without these past 3 months!
    1.  Freshly Picked Moccasins
    These have been so great, especially in the last month, as Hallie has been exploring this whole trying to walk thing! They are the perfect shoe because she can feel the ground with their soft soles! I would seriously buy every pair if I could! 
    2. Crane Humidifier-
    These last few months have sadly been filled with stuffy noses and coughs due to the cold weather and I am not sure I would have survived them without this baby. The top part of the crane spins 360 degrees, so I can point it to her crib while she’s sleeping or at the floor while we are playing. Seriously get one! It’s amazing! 
    3. Aden and Anais Muslin Blankets
    These have been great since we transitioned out of sleep sacks and swaddling to sleep.  These blankets are so thin I don’t have to worry about Hallie suffocating in her crib and it makes her feel cozier and safer to have a little blanket in her crib with her. (I know, I know they say you shouldn’t until a year, but she can seriously breathe through this thing and never puts it near her head!) 
    PS I need to go pick up this pack! They didn’t make purple ones when we had Hallie!!! 
    4. Play Yard
    This thing is seriously a life savor! We have been able to block off both our brick fireplace and our entertainment center from Hallie, and pen her into our living room to play! Sure, our living room doesn’t look it’s best, but everyone who comes over knows we have a kid and the best part…we don’t have to worry about Hallie getting hurt! 
    5. Soothing Sounds Giraffe 
    Hallie has always been a great sleeper, but these last few months brought a little anxiety in that department! This soothing Sounds Giraffe has been a great help! Hallie is very calmed by the heartbeat setting! 
    Hope these products are helpful to some of you! 
    Happy Monday!
    <3 Kelly

    Our Pretty Little Girls: Girl Mom Series

    Hey y’all! Beth from Our Pretty Little Girls was kind enough to invite me to occupy her space today and be a part of her “Girl Mom” series! So head on over there and check out my post! While you are there, make sure to peruse her site and get to know her adorable family!
    See you back here tomorrow!
    <3 Kelly

    It’s not easy being green

    Just a few photos of Hallie celebrating St. Patrick’s day!
    We wore green, played with green toys and ate Hallie’s favorite, spinach at lunch! Can’t wait until she is old enough to really celebrate! Did anyone else celebrate with your littles? Give me some ideas for next year ladies!!

    <3 Kelly

    Easter with Purple Moments

    Hallie and her playgroup friends had a mini Easter shoot with Miss Larissa at Purple Moments Photography yesterday! If you are in the Dallas area, please make sure to check her page out! She is so incredibly good with the kids and we end up with the most precious pictures! Plus, she is so so affordable!

    Here are the cute pictures we got of Miss Hallie yesterday:

     Hallie’s Easter Dress- Smock It To Me

    Larissa also caught a cute moment of our girls playing together before everyone arrived:

    So please go like Larissa’s page, and if you are in Dallas book a session with her and tell her Hallie sent you!
    <3 Kelly