Extended nursing times...

Zali boo has been nursing now for more than 16 months. Over the last week, unlatching her has been extraordinarily difficult. She gets upset when I try to unlatch her - even if she is sound asleep! Before, she would nurse in 7 mins and be completely done, but now she lounges on me for 30 + minutes at a time for each side! Is this a stage? I sure hope so! I don't mind her nursing, but I got use to her nursing quickly and then having her run off (not really "running"...LOL) to busy herself with something else and I organize my day with that in mind. Usually, I can sit for 15 minutes and nurse her.. and then do whatever is next on my to-do list. I guess I just have to savor the moments when she's still wrapped up in my arms... because once she outgrows this stage, it will be over & she won't revisit it again. Maybe this is all due to a growth spurt? Possibly...

My cuddle bug!

Last night, my little guy asked me to cuddle with him. I couldn't because I was nursing Zali boo and every time I tried to unlatch her, she would scream and wake herself back up. Eventually, he fell asleep without cuddles, but it broke my heart. I wanted to cuddle him SO bad. After I put Zali boo down, I gave her some kisses, tucked her in, and went to snuggle up with Addi. He really is the sweetest and warmest cuddle bug that has ever lived. I don't think there are many kids that love to cuddle as much as he does and I'm so blessed to have his love.  He truly is the most loving person I have ever encountered in my entire life.

My 4 year old son is in love!

My little guy is in love. Like seriously in love. He took me into the room and told me we had to talk... and the proceeded to say "mom, I really like ------" I think Im love with her." He blushes when he says her name and he's memorized her phone number & he tells me that he wants to write her name and his name and then draw a heart.

He is going to make one lucky girl very happy one day. He's so sweet and thoughtful and has a heart of gold. Im really blessed to be married to HIS father.

I can't get over the fact that we've been having this same "in love" conversation for weeks now. He hasn't spoken to his dad about it concerning the way he feels towards this girl, but I'm sure he only discusses it with me because I'm his mom and it's just easier to speak to moms about this type of stuff.

I love my son. He is one of a kind...

He also tells me Im "girl # 1, and she's girl #2." Yay! :)

Recipes!

I will soon be posting some of my favorite healthy kid-friendly recipes. I have learned a tremendous amount when it comes to feeding kids throughout my years as an older sister, nannying, and now, a mother of two! I do believe many can benefit from the knowledge I've gained.

Recipes to come:
-Organic chicken soup
- burgers
-Organic Mac and cheese
-Spinach patties
-Waffles
-Stewed lentils & brown rice
-Organic chicken fingers


... those are just a few!

My children

Azalea: She is a sweetheart. She is also feisty. She's determined and goes after whatever she wants. She is strong; a warrior. She likes music and dancing. She loves a good laugh. Likes to be told she's pretty. She IS pretty! She is bold. She likes company. She enjoys reading and writing. She loves nursing and being kissed up. She is lovely and oh so girly! She is our baby sunshine. She likes "Clap your hands and follow me" and "If you're happy and you know it!" and loves doing the hand motions. She likes to slow dance with me. She is crazy about her daddy & she looks just like him. She will be a great lawyer one day or a great judge. She is not easily intimidated. Her smile can create a giggle within you. She is my baby girl.

Azalea is 16 months.


Adonai: What a gentleman! He likes making jokes and has an astonishing sense of humor. He loves lavishing others with LOVE. He is a singer. He has amazingly long healthy hair for a little BOY. He likes playing the keyboard & watching Spongebob Square Pants & playing Mario with his uncle. He enjoys jumping on the bed while I exercise and tells me that "his heart is beating fast and he is getting so sweaty!" He is intelligent. His most recent words are: Barbaric & Mediocre. He is interested in numbers and letters. He likes others doing things for him that he can more than do himself. He takes his time with skills, but once he starts doing something, he masters it incredibly fast. He likes strawberries and chocolate. He likes hanging out. He will be a good friend and great father one day. He is LOVED.

Adonai is 4 years old.

Putting baby to sleep!

Azalea rarely ever fell asleep with me unless I was nursing her, but now I have found another way of putting her to sleep & it allows us to cuddle and enjoy some mommy & baby time together - apart from me being her milk bottle!

... it's dancing. We start off by dancing craaaaazy - anything goes (as long as she's in my arms!)... and then we eventually slow down and dance cheek to cheek. Before I know it, she is completely asleep in my arms! It has worked every single time since Ive started doing it & I love it because not only do I get one on one time with her, but I also get a workout (she's 26lbs!) AND she dozes off into dreamland...& lastly, I get to kiss her chubby cheeks!!! I love kissing her chubby cheeks ESPECIALLY when she is sleeping.

Dress up

Im going to start putting together a "dress up" box for Zali boo. I have this strong feeling that she will love playing dress up... I plan to fill the box/chest with dresses (that I've made for her) & necklaces, bracelets, feathers, tutu's... and I have to get her a tea set! :)

Having a little girl is different from having a boy because baby girl's really do like feeling pretty and getting all dolled up... and Zali girl is already expressing that she likes feeling this way! She smiles and blushes when you tell her that she looks beautiful or gorgeous or "so pretty!" She's truly such a little girly girl!

My little Mathematician

I think Addi is going to be a mathematician because this little boy knows how to count pass 100, how to distinguish between hundreds and thousands, how to count by tens... and has memorized every telephone number in my phone of the people he finds most important to him so he could call them whenever he wants.

He is all about numbers and spelling right now. I feel like I spell words constantly throughout the day... he's always like "mommy! what does zjslsls spell?" and Im like "umm Addi that's not a word." and then he goes "how do you spell..." and repeats me letter by letter for the word he asked about. He usually walks away talking to himself and repeating what I just told him. I figure he's trying to process it and store it in that brain of his.

I love this boy!