Jessica Kelso

Dear Nola,

You are 1.5 years old!! Where did my 8 pound 14 ounce little baby girl go?! I’m so upset because I had been writing an update here and there since I did your last update at 12 months but the post seems to be missing. Unfortunately I don’t have the greatest memory so this makes me terribly sad! I will try my best.

You have grown and matured so much since I last updated this around your first birthday! You make us all smile and laugh so much every day.

After cutting out some nursing sessions a little bit before you turned 1 – you decided to completely wean on your own. I was so glad you were able to make that decision but also sad that we couldn’t keep going. You had started to just nurse right before your nap and bedtime – and I stopped getting clogged ducts so I thought that was going to be our magic answer – but you were ready! It was a sad and happy time for me – and I still think about it often. A couple of days ago I was reading you a book before your nap and the way you were cuddled up made me think about how much I missed those cuddles when you were still nursing. After a busy morning out – it’s nice to just be able to sit down and relax in that way. I talked to you a little bit about it and a few minutes later as I was reading – you looked up at me with a huge smile and cuddled in tight. I know it was your way of letting me know that we can still cuddle without that. You are such a sweet soul, Nola P.

Your vocabulary has really exploded over the past couple of months. You can say mama, dada, bubba (brother), doggie, dina (dinosaur), airpane (airplane), wawa (water), grandma, papa, dowwie (doggie), shoe, more, please, (dank-ou) thank you, melmo (elmo), nana (banana), cheese, outside, oatmeal, dapper (diaper), park, ball, eye, nose, mouth, opa (open), room, breakfast, pancakes, snack, crackers, piggies, choo choo, boo boo, poo poo, blankie, birdie, apple, tummy, cup, baby, paba (paci), phone, cow/moo, duck/quck, monkey/ohh ohh, owl/whoo whoo, horse/neigh. . . and I’m sure a lot more that I’m missing!! Anytime we ask you to repeat a word – you give it a good try!

If we can’t find you at any given time when we’re home – 95% of the time you’re in your shoes. I find it really funny how much you love shoes already and hate being dirty. Having a brother who loves all things dirt – I’d assume you’d be different! I really think you might have as many shoes I do and I’m convinced you can even match what goes with your outfit. You have started to love picking out your clothes as well! My little girly girl.

You currently go to bed anywhere from 8-9pm and wake up around 8am. This is just an average though. You’re our little night owl and love to have nights with us to yourself (minus brother who is almost always asleep by 8 or 9!). We were starting to get a little exhausted by your 10-11pm nights, so I finally started waking you up from your 3-4 hour afternoon nap earlier (after about 2 hrs) and now you’re back to being tired by 8 or 9! Problem solved. You got to where you loved sleeping in our bed (which we were more than okay with) but now you seem to be back to sleeping in your crib most every night. I loved having you close, but respect your need for your own space!

We went through a rough month or two with sleep when you were getting some molars in but things have finally gotten better – and we’ve all been rested up lately. So as of right now – you have 12 little teeth!

You still love to eat more than anything else in the world! I’m so thankful you are willing to try anything and everything and hope that isn’t going to change anytime soon. I’ve never seen a baby who eats like you do.

You love to copy your brother. If he starts spinning around in circles being silly – you are right beside him doing the same thing. If he falls down, you fall down. Your newest copy  is attempting to jump from the ottoman to the couch like him! Not good baby girl…not good! I dropped him off at Aunt Juda’s last week to play with your cousin Caleb, and you had so many tears when he left our car. You do not like him leaving. I love how much you love him and hope that never changes. He adores you as well.

You love books despite how bad we were in the beginning about reading them to you! You are always bringing books over to the couch and patting beside you for us to sit down and read them. No matter how busy I might be, it’s almost impossible to tell you no. Most of your favorites involve animals and mommy making crazy animal sounds! You are still slightly infatuated with your baby (lovey) and pacifier. We went to the pool with some friends a few weeks back and you were having a really tough time making the decision between playing in the water and holding your (cloth) baby. So you would sit in my lap stroking the baby on your face for a few minutes and then pass baby off to me so you could play for a few minutes. Ahhh! We have two of them that I am constantly washing them because they get so dirty going everywhere with you. It doesn’t bother us though. I love that you have something so sweet to comfort you. If only we could start working on that pacifier though….! You wake up so incredibly happy – never a tear. I usually don’t even hear you wake up – I have to go in and check on you. There’s nothing better than seeing your smiling face first thing in the morning, little love. You are a runner and love to play chase. We’re working on when it’s okay to run away and when it’s not. . . diaper changes seem to be your favorite time to play which makes mama a little exhausted! You have such a sensitive and playful little spirit. You love to make people laugh – and will make a “silly face” on cue. Your facial expressions (mainly your mouth) are always changing and so hilarious. If I have to correct a behavior – you look me directly in the eyes and nod your head yes the whole time. It’s hard not to crack a smile every time! When we ask you how much we love you, you open up your arms real wide and say “thisss much”! I’m glad you know it baby girl.

Since you turned 1 – you’ve gotten to dress up on Halloween as a little monster, celebrate Christmas and meet some new family members, have fun with some little friends on Valentine’s Day, and just recently celebrated Easter! We’ve had so much fun with you and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God for making us your parents. You have blessed our lives more than we ever knew was possible.

We love you “thisss much”!!

- Mama

So in an attempt to really change the way we eat and the way we think about food – I started to somewhat document what I was feeding the kids for lunch. We eat really well for breakfast and dinner but lunches have always been more of a challenge for me when it came to the kids – and myself to be honest. Since going meat free – lunch meat sandwiches were no longer an option (for me, we never really fed the kids lunch meat). B loves peanut butter and honey sandwiches on Ezekiel bread but that was becoming a daily habit because it was so easy for me to make. Although honey is great for numerous reasons – it’s still a form of sugar that I didn’t want him eating too much of. A friend of mine had asked a couple of us other moms what we were eating for lunch and feeding our kids so I also thought it’d be helpful to start snapping some pictures of what we made in attempts to make a blog post about it – and possibly help some other mama’s in their daily quest for healthy lunches!

I’ve yet to become one of those “cool moms” who cuts their kids food in super cute shapes for them – so the appearance isn’t anything fancy. Sorry if that’s disappointing :)

Whole wheat organic tortilla filled with homemade refried beans (pinto beans in the crockpot – so easy!), sour cream (Breakstone’s  All Natural Sour Cream – 2 ingredients compared to the 20+ in their low fat and fat free kind!), diced organic avocado, and raw jalapeno pepper jack cheese. A side of sliced up organic apples and leftover lentil soup (lentils, onions, kale, veggie broth, spices, and tomatoes). And YES – my girl ate almost all of this!!

 Organic whole wheat pasta with olive oil and fresh parmesean cheese sprinkled on top, organic raisins and cucumbers, with a side of greek yogurt.

Ezekiel brand english muffins topped with organic tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese – toasted with a side of fresh organic mango and frozen peas.

Whole wheat taco shell crunched up with crumbled tofu, corn, spinach, and feta cheese with a side of crock pot black beans.

Steel cut oats with organic fresh strawberries and real maple syrup. They both love this breakfast!

Ezekiel bread toasted with olive oil drizzled on, avocado smashed up, and a little sea salt on top. With a side of organic raisins and apples.

Organic mango popsicle cut up – great snack!

Whole wheat tortilla with homemade hummus, colby jack cheese, and snap pea crisps with a side of organic kiwi and apple. I usually roll the tortilla up and slice it into little pieces for Nola!

Breakfast – ezekiel bread with homemade organic strawberry jam, fresh strawberries, and an egg omelet with spinach, cheese, and salsa.

Organic peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich, raw walnuts, Annie’s mac n cheese, and sliced organic apples.

I am going to attempt to keep up with this and possibly post another entry so I can stay accountable and make sure my kids are eating something other than peanut butter and honey every day! And if you’re wondering why all the pictures are of my daughter – it’s because I’m still trying to be good about not posting photos of B in my blog. The adoption should be finalized SOON and that will change though!!