Mealtime madness

Life with a two-year old can be maddening.  They are constantly asserting their independence by voicing their opinions, trying to do everything themselves, and changing their mind by the minute second.

Mealtime at our house has become the worst time of day.  First of all, Leila insists on choose her own plate, silverware, and cup. These are choices I have no problem with, until they make her crazy.  I want this plate, no this plate.  This cup, no I don't like this cup.  I want the other one.  You see where I am going here...and this is before the food is even served.

This was the first smile I've seen at mealtime in a while.

Leila never wants to eat anything served to her, naturally, because it wasn't her idea.  Her once "favorite" foods become gross.  She wants her sandwich cut into big pieces seconds after requesting little pieces.  I don't like that, has become the phrase I hear most often.  She pushes her plate away or plays with her food. This behavior is driving me nuts!

I give her choices.  I've resorted to bribery and trickery.  I set limits and make it my mission to follow through with what I've said.  I know she won't starve if she doesn't eat, that's not really what I am worried about.  We can't make it through mealtime without listening to whining (or even crying) and I am losing it.

Please tell me you have some tips that I can implement right away!  The first thing I am doing is making "set" times for meals and snacks, just like we have set times for sleep.

Any suggestions (or just plain sympathy)?    

Truth time {SAHM life}

Truth is, everyday is not easy.  It's not all glitter and rainbows being a stay-at-home mom.  Some days are more like needles and blizzards.  Others fall into the moldy bread and hail storm category.

The purpose of this blog is to document our days, good, bad and everything in between.  Naturally I leave out the bad because a.) I don't want to remember those days. b.) No one likes a "negative Nancy".

Today though, I need to document our tough, "I wish I could just go to work" kind of day.  I'll read this post again one day as a reminder that I made it out alive.  A reminder that bad days exist.  A reminder that it's okay to have these kind of days.

Today...

• Leila cried, whined, or fussed from the second she got up (early, nonetheless) to the second we managed to leave the house.
• I fed her goldfish crackers to keep her busy.
• The mirror in the bathroom sink has toothpaste splatters all over it...still.
• Is the fifth day in a row I have worn a pony-tail.
• Leila screamed in her crib at nap time when I closed the door.
• I don't plan on making dinner.
• Leila will watch more television than she should.

Today will end, eventually.

Tomorrow...I'll be back to glitter, rainbows, and toddler smiles.

Obsessed much?

My child obsessed?  You betcha.

If you have been lucky enough to witness one of the most hysterical Leila meltdowns ever, you know that "obsessed" may not be a strong enough description.

Leila is obsessed with having blankets on her head. (I can hardly write that without laughing out loud.)

It's not easy capturing this obsession with my camera.  And I certainly will not stage a photo opportunity because I know what will come of it...

Whining, followed by an epic meltdown, is the result of the blanket falling off of her head.  

Sometimes she trips over the blanket and it comes off.  Sometimes the blanket is too heavy for her and she can't manage to keep it on her head properly AND play. Sometimes she just forgets how badly she wanted the blanket on and carelessly lets it slip off. 

It's a scary sight when this happens.  The crying stops only when the blanket is put back on her head. (Seriously I am laughing again.)

We can go days, even weeks, without a single blanket being on her head.  But when she spies a blanket...and her head starts spinning, be prepared to laugh at what's to come.

Seriously exhausted from all the melting down.

Think this obsession is funny?  Head on over and visit the link up for more Toddler Obsessions ...

16 Months

A day in the life of a sixteen month old toddler.

Rise and shine at 7:00 am. She plays in her crib for a while before I go and get her up. I love listening to her talk to her stuffed friends. She has such a sweet voice (most of the time).

First things first...we watch about 20 minutes of Sesame Street while she drinks her milk and I drink my coffee. She can just about put her cup in the sink when she's finished. She's a little short. I'm not sure I'm ready to teach her how to stand on a stool. Although she'd love it. She's into everything!

Morning play


Next up is a light breakfast at of cereal, eggs, fruit, oatmeal, toast, or pancakes. She just started feeding herself successfully with a spoon.


Adventure time- Forget the stroller, Leila wants to walk. We walk everywhere. She's great on her feet walking, running, or climbing.

Snack- Yogurt is her current fave. She loves when I put "surprises" like strawberries, blueberries, bananas, or cheerios in the spoonfuls. I should add pea or carrot surprises. but that's too mean.


11:30 Nap- We did it. Yep, yep! We made the great nap transition. It was not nearly as difficult as I though it would be. It took about two weeks to ease her into it. Now Leila naps once for about three hours. I hope to slowly be push it back as she gets use to our new routine. I love having more time to play and enjoy her in the morning. It is definitely her happiest time of day!


Snack- We eat a lot of small meals throughout the day. Sometimes she eats more than I expected, sometimes less. She's been pushing away her plate when she's finished instead of signing all done. Leila also stopped signing more, now she says it in the cutest way.

Indoor play- blocks, kitchen utensils, climbing the furniture, dancing...


Outside for more adventure time


Snack

Play, play, play...Daddy style!


Dinner around 6:30. She's been eating what we eat for the past few months (with a few exceptions). Makes life way easier this way!

Quiet play- She will sit with us on the couch while I read her a few of her favorite books. Actually, she usually makes me read the same book over and over again.

7:00 Night-night- Some nights I put her to bed, other nights Jeff does. We each do the 7:00ish bedtime routine with our own personal twist. Leila is a wonderful sleeper. She wakes up at night...maybe? Luckily we haven't had to go in once since she started sleeping through the night.

16 months and fun as ever!
It's her world and I'm happy to be in it.

Leila, Leila, pumpkin hater

It was a beautiful (HOT) fall day at a nearby dairy farm. We had a fun adventure planned for Leila's first trip to the pumpkin patch.


At first she was all smiles.

She ran around touching all the pumpkins, posed for a few photos with Aunt Val...



...and then it happened. Leila discovered a pumpkin stem. Seems harmless, right?

Something pissed her off.

Hello, mini-meltdown.

And she's off!


Mini-meltdown turned into meltdown,


which turned in to TIME TO GO!


I don't want to leave you with a crabby pants shot. The day was not a total waste.


In the middle of all of her meltdowns Leila managed to bring smiles to our faces. Watching her enjoy the new sights, sounds, and smells was worth it!