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Picnic with Audrey

The other day I took Audrey to our neighborhood park for a little picnic so she could enjoy the fresh air, beautiful weather, and new sights. I laid down a blanket, played some Disney music [Pandora application on my phone] and laid out some toys for her to play with. Even though there was no food for her, i still thought of it as a cute picnic. Here are some pics...enjoy:

I absolutely adore these legging my best friend Krystal got for Audrey. You can find them at BabyGAP and i want to get her more in different colors because leggings with little shoes attached are so practical and cute! Thanks Krystal!

Bouncy, Bouncy!

I first bought Audrey a bouncer before i heard of the exersaucer. She did well with the bouncer, but I thought she needed one a little more advanced and with more toys. With the bouncer she hardly touched the floor. Well the other day I brought the bouncer back out and Audrey seems to love it more than she does the exersaucer! I took this little video of Audrey jumping up and down [her feet finally touch the floor]! Dont mind my annoying baby talk voice. Once you become a mommy you start to make up words, look funny making funny faces, and talk in the most annoying voice...trust me!

Circumcising

When my friend had her baby boy I was so eager to hear how her delivery went. She told me everything went so well.....until her baby boy had to be circumcised. She said right after the baby was born they circumcised him, and yes he felt everything. She was so hurt to see it and hear her babies screams. She told me after she brought him home she felt like he looked at her like "mommy why did you let that happen to me." And the recovery process for him was still painful. I'm so thankful I didnt have a baby boy, I dont know what I would have done. It hurts me just to see my little girl get shots. Well the other day I heard a little something about circumcising:

Circumcision ban bill

BOSTON (FOX25, myfoxboston) - To circumcise or not to circumcise?
It's a question parents of baby boys have to decide but now there's a discussion on Beacon Hill that would take that choice away from parents in this state.
State lawmakers will debate a bill today that would make it illegal for parents to circumcise boys, unless there's a medical reason.
It would ban the procedure on any male under the age of 18 even for religious reasons.
Under the legislation, people who disregard the ban would face a fine and possible 14-year prison sentence.
The proposal classifies male circumcision as genital mutilation and supporters of the bill say male infants can't possible consent to the procedure.
They testified here on Beacon Hill, calling circumcision unethical at its core.
The Centers for Disease Control says lack of circumcision has been linked to sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections and penile cancer.
In the US, common complications include minor bleeding and infection.
The CDC doesn't recommend either way, preferring to leave the decision up to the person and their parents.

Here in Massachusetts, some say there are bigger issues at hand for lawmakers.

My belief is, I think it should be banned. I think that boys who turn 18 should be able to get the procedure with anesthesia.  I understand infections are a big concern, but we need to be teaching our young kids how to properly clean/take care of themselves in the first place. Here is a very touching response I read after the article that made me think twice about this cruel procedure.

 " I am a nurse in newborn nursery. The pain that sweet tiny baby boys go through 

during a circumcision horrifies me. It is surgery without anesthesia. It is 10 minutes 

of pure hell. The pain is so horrendous that many babies go into shock immediately. 

They just stare and make gurgly noises. They are the lucky ones. The others

remain perfectly aware of the pain that goes on and on. Their piercing screams

haunt me. "

What do you think?

Baby puree

From the start, I wanted to breastfeed Audrey so that everything entering her body was pure, natural and good for her. I was devastated when I could no longer breastfeed her after 3 months! Still to this day when i feed her formula i cringe. Well, since Audrey is now eating stage 2 baby food I figured, another natural way of feeding her baby food would be puree. I guess you can say im a little skeptical of what is being used and put into baby food/formula, etc. Call me a paranoid mom =/ Im so excited to buy a food processor this wknd and make her baby food. There would be a lot more variety than what they sell with regular baby food and at least this way I know everything she's eating is 100% natural and healthy for her. Making baby food is very easy. Here are a couple rules to making baby food.

Things you need:

• food processor
• ice cube trays
• storage containers [with lids]

Simple How-To:

• Steam fruits or veggies
• allow to sit and cool off [save the cooking liquid]
• transfer the fruits or veggies to food processor, adding formula or cooking liquid for desired consistency. [Its best use the leftover liquid from the steamed veggies or fruits because it contains vitamins that seep out]
• remove the food and serve immediately or put in ice cube trays to freeze up to 2 months

Some Great Recipes:

Fruit purees :

Start with the simple flavours of pureed apple or pear. 

Apple Puree – use 2 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith Apples
Pear Puree - use 2 Beurre Bosc or Packham pears.

1. Peel and chop the fruit and place in a saucepan with 2-3 tablespoons water.  
2. Cover and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and cook until very tender.
3. Use a blender or food processor to puree the fruit until very smooth.
4. Add a little breast milk, formula, orange juice or cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency for your baby  

Fresh vegetable purees: To begin, try your baby on simple pumpkin, carrot and potato or kumara (orange sweet potato) puree. Try them separately, and as baby accepts the flavours gradually introduce your baby to a range of vegetables in various combinations. Pumpkin puree – use ½ small Butternut or Jap pumpkin Kumara puree – use 1 medium Kumara Carrot puree – use 2 carrots and 1 potato 1. Peel and chop vegetables into a 2-3cm dice. 2. Steam, boil or microwave vegetables with a little water until tender. 3. Use a blender or food processor to puree the vegetables until very smooth.    4. Add breast milk, formula or cooking liquid to achieve the desired consistency to suit your baby

Reach and pick up

So Audrey wanted to show mommy today the "reach and pick up". Before she was just leaning over and playing with toys in the sitting position but never leaned over, pick up and bring back up to play. Well tonight she did just that!

 Aww, congrats baby! You are such a big girl. You are doing so well with sitting up by yourself as well. Moments like this I cherish because here today, gone tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love, Audrey Leigh Mouirguies

Holiday style

Here are a couple of cute little Christmas things for baby that I absolutely adore:

'Tis the season

Well guys, its officially the most wonderful time of the year(= Right after Thanksgiving when those holiday commercials come on you know its that time. Not only is December my favorite month because my birthday is on New Years Eve ;) but I absolutely love Christmas! Here in California we get snow covered mountains which means trips to Mt. Baldy or Big Bear, renting cabins, sipping hot cocoa by the fireplace and skiing! Im definitely introducing Audrey to the snow this year because I was born in Colorado so I have very fond memories of playing in the snow. I know Audrey isnt old enough to really understand or play in the snow as older babies can, but I know she will enjoy the experience nonetheless. Sunday we are putting up the Christmas tree and decorations. We have been using the same Christmas tree decorations since back in 1997 and the reason why is because each ornament holds special memories. Ornaments such as ones i've made in elementary and middle school, ornaments we bought as a family or have been given from friends, ornaments my mom got from Disney when she worked there. I've been telling my parents we should get new ornaments and new decor for the tree but after thinking about it, i would rather choose the old ones that hold more memories rather than new ones that feel so fake and "just for show". Maybe we can make a compromise and change out the ribbon and main bulbs...but still add the collected ornaments that hold a special place in our hearts.

       Well as we all know, Black Friday started today. I cringe at the thought of that word. I, for one, have never participated in Black Friday because waiting in long lines for hours in the cold and dealing with crazy people is not my cup of tea. Im an online shopper, and just like last year I was able to get great deals and discounts from the comfort of my own home. Ever heard of "Cyber Monday".....oh yeah. I did this last year and will definitely have at another round this year. I know Audrey's presents will dominate everyone elses under the tree and I cant wait to see her cute little face light up, after all she will be 6 months come December. I already have her outfit picked out and apt. set for her pictures next wknd. Im not  sure if we should do a family portrait or just her solo.....

     Well anyway, I hope everyone is feeling the spirit. Did I mention this is my favorite time of year ;) okay, just making sure.

Mommy time

Dear Audrey, I went out for the first time in 13 months with some girlfriends of mine.

Guess what? I hated it! I loved being in the company of friends, but it just wasnt the same. This was a test for me because I wanted to prove to myself that Im completely done with my partying days. I was listening to music and was craving it for a second but now that I actually went out and did it, im not missing out on anything. Its still there....the same as it ever was. And im officially OVER IT! I even had a sip of alcohol and I hated that as well. A sip of wine here or there wouldnt hurt, but hard liquor...out of the question. I would rather be home with you, living my boring little "homebody" life. It fits me so well! I just wanted you to know this.......

Audrey at 5 months

Today Audrey is  5 months!

I was a little disappointed to find out I had to work today while she would be getting her second rounds of shots. I rushed home to work to find out how everything went and to hold and love on my little girl. My mom told me she did great today! She only cried on the last shot because the needle was a little bit bigger [she got 4 shots!]. She now weighs 17 pounds and is 25 inches in length. For her weight she is in the 90th percentile which is beyond great. The pediatrician said she was anticipating having to put Audrey on a diet [common amongst babies lately], but when she saw her she was overjoyed at how well she is growing! We can now introduce stage 2 foods to her! Im so thrilled, because there is more variety with stage 2 foods. This wknd im getting Audrey a different highchair....One i've been eying for a while. So lets recap on all the wonderful things Audrey has been doing now that she's 5 months!

-Audrey has her phases where she makes random noises and sticks with those noises for a week or two. For the past few weeks she has been making this noise and blowing with her lips. I cant really describe it other than to show you:


-Audrey has also been sitting up by herself for quite some time now since turning 4 months. Im so proud of her, as this is one big milestone I couldnt wait to see. She slumps over to play with toys in front of her because she hasnt quite got the idea of picking up the toy and bringing it up while sitting up. We will practice this some more

-Audrey is extremely ticklish, and she makes the cutest laughs when i tickle her.
-She loves to eat cut up apples from this little gadget: Baby Safe Feeder

-She still wears the same size diapers and drinks 7 ounces of formula.

-She takes little cat naps throughout the day for 10-15 minutes

-She has adjusted so well to sleeping in her crib: I put her down around 8pm, she wakes around 7am and I feed her at 8am-12pm-4pm-8pm. I like to keep her on that routine. She wakes about twice at night because she wants her pacifier [which falls out of her mouth] back in her mouth...weird, i know. She's a little diva. She doesnt have set times when she takes naps, but I know for sure she takes one in the morning after feeding around 9am.

-Audrey loves to slap at things. If you show her something she'll slap at it.

-She is now throwing her toys, I dont think deliberately though.

-She still wears size 6-9 month clothes, size 2 shoes

-And she still hates tummy time and still wont roll. Its crazy because she rolled in the very beginning, actually pretty early for her to be rolling. But since then she just stopped. She's boycotting the infamous "roll". I wonder if babies can skip that milestone....hmmm......

This is pretty much all that comes to mind at the moment. I know I need to blog a little more. I used to blog all the time, even about  baby news, products, etc...things that I would find interesting if I were to read someones blog. I just love the time I spend with my little one, the only time I truly have to blog is at night but I take that precious time to catch up on sleep because I work. Im currently working on a schedule that im gonna put myself on to do certain activities like blog, workout, etc. I've focused so much on baby I forgot about myself. That's what makes me mommy! Now only if they could make a magic mommy friendly energy pill ;]