Realizing you now have a Toddler

Holy moly. Ladies and Gents....I have a toddler. Not a baby. I have a full blown little one year old girl. Crap.

A little while ago, I read a blog about how another mommy felt about having a toddler. I found it kinda funny and said to myself that I have some time before that happens to me. But damn! It crept out of nowhere and now I'm finding myself in the same situation. I have a toddler. A full fledge, food eating, non stop talking, walking, yelling, screaming, laughing toddler. Crap crap crap!
Now I have a whole new set of worries. Its no longer about how long my baby sleeps - that will be minimal now. Its not about what foods she likes - she will just play with it, mush it in her hands, put it in her hair, but attempt to get some in her mouth.
Its now about keeping tabs on her at all times - shes curious, like her mommy was ;) Its about setting an example of good eating habits (bye bye MacDonalds....quarter pounders were so good to me!) and no television while eating; dinner is for family time. Ugghh....I now have to watch what I say. Adriana already tries to copy people. This morning she tried to say Breakfast. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Although, more book reading will be helpful! She loves her books, especially eat them....
I think I'm at the point where I've realized some things about myself. I'm 27 years old, my boyfriend is 29 in a few months and we have a one year old. Wow. Life catches you by surprise some times. I love it.

Adriana has been nothing but a true blessing to us. Shes a typical kid but boy is she smart. Smarter than we expected. We cannot occupy her with simple things - she would rather play with (and know how to use) toys for 18+mths instead of toys her age. She understands a lot more too. We talk to her like a normal child and she responds in her gibberish. We don't quite understand her but we can hear some actual words! She responds appropriately too. When we ask her to do some thing....she tries to do it. If we ask her a question, she tries to answer it. Its not just talking to talk - she has a conversation: baby to mommy/daddy way of course.

Her ability to walk, talk, bend, observe, point, etc is quite developed. The other day we Skyped with her Uncle Tim in Australia - he is usually working when we're on so it was nice for them to have their own date. She was talking to him, showing him her books, putting the spoon on her nose like him, waving, etc. He commented about her development and how she grasps the concept of Skype and conversing between people. They have only been gone for about 6mths and she's been able to do so much in that short time! We make a point to have regular weekly skype dates in order for Adriana to remember them. We talk about them as if they were down the street!

This has already been so much fun for us. We could never ask for anything more - except another one of her! I leave you all with a hilarious video from the weekend. Adriana had a fascination with one of the nesting tables at my mom's house. The Table won.

****Sorry the video will not upload right now - I will do some editing!****

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

It has been a crazy week of ridiculously cold weather here! I'm up early and on my way to work by 630 every morning but this week I was barely making it out the door by then! I have this amazing attachment to my heated blanket, duvet, pillow...gosh my whole darn bed!! I think the coldest day was Wednesday so far, with a good -26. That was the day I asked very nicely if my boyfriend would drive me to work for just this once. Adriana was up early and it was THE coldest its been in awhile. Usually, I take the bus to avoid waking her up and having to get her bundled and in the car just to drive for 10mins. Yes, I work that close to home :)

Adriana had two teeth coming in and now the one on the bottom has gone back down! Poor little girl; poor Daddy. It was almost all the way up there and then I noticed it wasn't there anymore (I highly doubt my baby is into losing teeth already! lol) I am thankful that its just the one and its over for a bit now. She was definitely back to herself yesterday! You would have never known she went to the Doctors for her 2 other first year needles :D This is exactly why we feel blessed. She was walking around chatting it up, chasing the dogs...riding the dogs, eating Shreddies out of the cupboard lol Typical baby stuff!

This whole Shreddies thing came about when my mom wanted to keep some hand snacks in the house - Adriana is almost completely off the jarred baby food and she loves to feed herself. My Dad decided to let her play in the pantry where she took all the canned peas and diced tomatoes out. Then she found the Shreddies. She doesn't dump them on the floor - surprisingly - but instead she reaches in and grabs a few at a time. She also tries to share with the dogs...what a sweetheart. Next time I will have to get this on video to share!

Last night Adriana the porker was back to eating her normal ways! This is exciting because she literally will eat anything we give her. She had 2 meatballs, 1.5 slices of garlic bread, some pasta, half a tray of blackberries, and some yogurt. Did I mention she ate 1 quick jar of Turkey Stew before we left our house to go see the Grandparents? Porkieeeeee! She loved it all and its amazing that she had her night time bottle only 30mins later. We are also thankful we always sat her in the highchair to eat with us. Dinner time is Family time.

She slept like a log too - until about 3am when we heard her crying a bit. Her teeth again. She never gets a bottle in the middle of the night. I have spent over an hour rocking her back to sleep before and I don't plan on that changing! She is fine to go the whole night without a midnight feeding. I am not getting into the habit of feeding her just to go back to sleep either. She can have her suckie, a blanket and a good cuddling rock with Mommy. This is also how we got her to sleep 6-8hrs after 2weeks :D :D

So to all my fellow mommies and soon to be mommies, have patience! The less you react the less your baby will do - Adriana was on this yelling and screaming fix and now its over (hopefully forever!) because we didn't react to it in the slightest. We simply would tell her No Screaming, be Nice, and gave lots of kisses. Its merely to see how far she can push our buttons but keeping calm really works!....a tip I read on Pinterest. Now we have our normally chatty, almost smiling, funny little girl back. Its amazing what patience can do for you: during pregnancy and after baby is here! If you don't have it....start learning how to get it - its a Life Saver.




Now I will leave you with a short video of Adriana! 

Sorry its sideways and shakey!! I was doing it all freehand - should have rested my elbow on the table or something :S This little monkey is covered in food - purple mouth from blackberries, red from pasta and meatballs, and she's still eating yogurt! She also thinks shes pretty funny.....Love her!!



How have your baby's eating patterns changed over the months?
Do they like trying new foods?...this was the first time Adriana ate blackberries.
What sort of messy foods have they gotten themselves into so far? Pasta seems to be a favourite.

Date Night and More Teeth

We had our official first Date Night of the year last night. Nothing crazy just a quick bite to eat and a 3hr movie...without Adriana. My sister and her husband watched her for the night - poor them. Adriana has two teeth coming in at the same time (never happened before) and they come so slow that her fussiness lasts several days! They were still up for the challenge and it seems like it wasn't too bad for them either. Its also good practice with their dog, to have a baby around now to get her used to them. Then when they are ready for their own, their dog will be too!

Adriana has had a few rough days. Refusing to eat sometimes, refusing to nap, refusing to play...she's definitely teething again! But she's been a trooper from the beginning of this whole teeth thing and this is her first two-fer so I'd say - not bad little missy, not bad at all. I also noticed she has become more clingy to me than Daddy. Very strange. Its usually when she's tired or when her teeth bother her. Personally, I have no issue with this....lol but I know it sucks being the other parent. I know its just a phase, she will go back and forth between us several times before she picks her "favourite" and that is all about growing up I guess! She loves her Daddy, playing with him, watching movies, hanging out, etc. But since I'm at work all day, when I get home it all changes. She's never been one to cling to someone without reason - she's no sook that's for sure! But when she's tired, sick or teething she will. Understandably so.

Back to our Date Night. It was nice to finally step away together out in public! Although, as soon as we left I wanted to go back...I held it together! We even picked up a bottle of wine to drink after we got back from the movie :) We made it through one glass each and then yawned our face off until we gave in and said "lets go to bed". BAM! We made it to midnight. I was impressed considering we had been up since 7am - I worked and hadn't taken a nap! I was also impressed my boyfriend didn't fall asleep in the movie theater lol Believe it or not, this has happened several times and once we left because he couldn't stay awake! So overall, it was a good night; a much needed night even. This is happening at least once a month just like its been happening for the last year. Before Adriana, it was once a week lol Babies change everything....!



Do you have date night?
What are some things you do with your significant other?
How do you get back into the routine of Date Night, if you have fallen out of it?
Maybe your "Date Night" isn't necessarily without the kids but after they go to sleep. What sort of things do you and your partner do to enjoy each other?...lets stay out of the bedroom here people!

Happy Birthday Adriana

On Christmas I reflected on the year before. Who was around, what we did, what presents we got, how excited we were to become parents. On New Years Eve, we reflected on the year before and how we tried everything under the sun to get Adriana to be the FIRST baby of 2012. Clearly, nothing worked but a few days later she was finally on her way!
I still remember exactly how everything happened. What was said, how I felt, how my boyfriend felt, and how long it all took! Lol It was definitely a day we will never forget. It was a day that changed our lives forever. Today we celebrate that day :)

Exactly one year ago today, at 6:28am, our beautiful little princess was born. She was perfect in every way. Weighing in at 7lbs and 12oz and 21" long, she had the most perfect little face, perfect little fingers and perfect little toes. She was amazing. I remember when my boyfriend spoke to her the first time, she looked over at him and knew that was her Daddy. I held her close to my heart where she felt warm and she knew that I was her Mommy. Adriana was now our beautiful baby girl who evidently would change our lives from that moment on in ways we would never expect. She changed it for the better.

One year later, she has learned so many things. Shes talking all the time (only we don't always understand her!), she is walking all by herself now (a recent trick she pulled a few weeks ago), she definitely has her Dad's appetite too! At her last doctor's visit she weighed in at 22lbs (10kgs) and still hitting the 85th percentile. She is a tall girl too, coming in the 97th percentile for height. At just a year old, Adriana is wearing 18-24mths and size 4 shoes! Definitely like her Daddy.

We always knew we would have cute babies. Biased? I know but seriously. Cute but never thought...ever thought she would be THIS cute! I mean...those blue eyes. Kill me every time and she got them from ME! Her sweet personality that's already forming is just amazing. She thinks she is the funniest thing in the world and I love it. She is such a happy baby and everyone sees it when they meet her. Of course she has her fussy moments...what baby doesn't? They definitely don't happen often and usually fixed with some food or a nap!

Adriana, from Mommy and Daddy - we love you more than anything else in this world. You have made us better people, a better couple, and completed our family...for now ;) We want you to continue growing, learning, and laughing like you do. You are so smart baby girl and I hope for big things to come your way. The possibilities are endless for you darling. Always remember that. We love you to pieces!! xoxo

 Cake and Cupcakes from L.C. Creations - Love her work!!

 Aunt Jill and Uncle Pat help open her first gift before he heads off to work

 CAKE FACE!!

 Kiddies! Adriana, Hunter and my niece Audrey

 Yum Yum Food!

 Mommy and the Birthday Girl :) xoxo

 Just chillin in her new pink wagon from Gran and Grandad

 Adriana in her birthday tutu....love it!!

 Birthday girl opening presents

 Playing with a few balloons

 Adriana with Grandad - boy he loves her!

 Decorations, food, cake, presents and people - LET'S PARTY!!

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it out for her first birthday. It was a very special day and I'm glad we were able to spend it with family and friends. It was nice to share this moment with close friends too - some I haven't seen in awhile. I know Adriana appreciates every person and every gift :) She is a very lucky girl and I'm sure she knows it!

Say Goodbye to 2012 - Hello 2013

I must say that 2012 was a hell of a year! The birth of our daughter, moving, sister's wedding, Adriana's baptism, niece was born, then her baptism, going back to work, etc. I can say 2012 was definitely a FUN-filled year. My boyfriend and I are very thankful for many things - the biggest being Adriana! We hope that 2013 only brings more for us and our family. Here are some pictures from 2012 that really made it what it was....

 January 5th - Adriana was born.....the day our lives changed :)

 Daddy and Adriana on her first day home

 Adriana's Baptism

 Aunt Kim and Uncle Tim with Adriana - Moved to Australia in June

 Me, Loni, Kim and Jill at the rehearsal dinner

 The Happy Couple on their wedding day!

 Little Miss Audrey Marie is born in August

 Adriana's First Halloween

Adriana's first meeting with Santa

2012 was filled with many firsts for a few different people. Each and every person in our lives made an impact this year and we hope to share more with them in 2013. I will take the time to acknowledge those who we have loss in 2012 - You will be missed.

I want to wish everyone health, happiness and love in the New Year!

Love,

Hillside Mommy :)

Happy Holidays 2012

 The 2012 Holiday Season is a big deal for my family. It is Adriana's very FIRST Christmas! She hasn't been able to experience the true holiday spirit of giving thanks, family and friends, presents, FOOD, or all the decorations. She doesn't quite understand it but she is definitely fascinated by the decorations! I am thankful she's been gentle enough to our tree (and others) that its still standing on this Christmas Eve Day. Very Thankful!

It has been a busy few days already but its one thing we love about Christmas. We get to see the family we don't see very often. We get to eat as much food as our little tummy can handle! and of course we get lots of presents too :D So far I think Adriana is loving the holidays and we're not even there yet! She was pretty darn good yesterday with people around from my boyfriend's side of the family. It was nice to see everyone after a few months. She was friendly to everyone - went around and said "hey!" to each cousin, aunt, uncle and great grandparents :) There was great food (as always) and found out my boyfriend's Gran makes Lemon Squares....MY FAVOURITE! They were delicious.

Today it will a little more low key. We plan to spend time together as a family and later take Adriana to her first Christmas mass as a tradition. The same thing we always did when we were young. After church we will most likely spend it with my sister's in-laws. We don't see them often either! Tomorrow will be by far the busiest day. IT'S CHRISTMAS!! We start with possibly the earliest rise since I was 7yrs old for Christmas morning. Heading down the street to see my boyfriend's mom, sister in law, his brother and their kiddies for breakfast. Exchange gifts and head back down to our house to open our own with Adriana. Then we will get ready and head over to my parents house for the night. This is the part my mom is REALLY looking forward too.

I know Christmas isn't all about presents (they are nice though!) and we want Adriana to remember the true meaning of the holidays. Its nice to receive gifts but its never expected. It's about being together as a family and enjoying the time you do have. No work, no phones, no computers....just family time. This is the one holiday I look forward to more than my own birthday every year! I know Adriana will have a difficult time between the two since they're only 11days apart! Once we get through the holidays - Her birthday is just around the corner. Since this is her FIRST birthday....I started planning in November lol I hope its everything she wants and more!!


From my family to yours....Happy Holidays Everyone!!

Red Velvet Peppermint Holiday Cookies - YUM YUM!

The Holidays are pretty much here and with all the chocolate being passed around at work...I feel I had to do my share and have a holiday bake off! Tomorrow is the last day of work before Christmas and tonight my sister and I decided to bake a delicious batch (or two!) of cookies. I found an eye catching picture on Pinterest and jumped on the idea!!

Red Velvet Peppermint Cookies. Yes. Red Velvet - COOKIES! Delicious and can be presented in so many different ways.

What you need:
1pkg Red Velvet Cake mix
1pkg Cream Cheese (8oz)
1/2cup butter
1-1/2tsp vanilla
1 large egg
1/2cup icing sugar (sprinkle ontop)
1pkg Hersey Candy Cane kisses (unwrapped)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Soften cream cheese in mixing bowl, add butter and mix well. Add vanilla and egg to mixture and blend well until all ingredients have been combined; except the kisses and icing. Using an ungreased baking sheet, spoon mixture leaving about 2" in between each cookie. Sprinkle icing sugar over top each cookie. Bake for approximately 11mins with baking rack in the middle of the oven. Once done, remove from baking sheet and let cool on a rack or cutting board. Place one Hersey kiss in the center of each cookie (they slightly melt and taste delicious!!)

Prep Time: 15mins
Cooking Time: 11mins
Servings: 2 dozen (24 cookies)

These cookies turned out to be so soft, fluffy, delicious and not too sweet. I love the added peppermint flavour and was planning to chop the kisses up and add to the batter before cooking or sprinkle the chopped up pieces on top. There are so many different ways to make this recipe your own!


Happy Holidays from Hillside Mommy :)