Tantrum

Gwendoline turned 13 months old yesterday, and today she threw her first public tantrum. She's had meltdowns in public before if she's been hungry or overtired, but this was a true tantrum. In Sally Beauty Supply. I needed one little thing, and since leaving your child in the car is frowned upon these days, I decided we could run in without the stroller. Big mistake. Gwendoline can walk proficiently now, so I thought she'd just hold my hand and go where I led her. I was incorrect. She immediately ran for the perm rollers and started scattering them- dozens of them- across the floor. Of course I told her NO and removed her from the roller shelves. She apparently didn't like this and proceeded to throw herself on the floor and wail as if I'd just broken her favorite toy, crocodile tears and all. I started picking up the rollers, content with her crying on the floor because that's better than her destroying anything else. Plus, I'm not going to give into a tantrum. But the next thing I knew she disappeared behind the counter where there were two employees working the cash registers and about four people in line. Just as Gwendoline was reaching into the trash can behind the counter, I scooped her up, apologized to everyone in sight, and ran for the car.

This is going to be fun.

Food challenge

Gwendoline had her baked-in egg food challenge yesterday. We decided early on after she was diagnosed with an egg protein allergy that we would do the baked-in egg challenge to potentially open new food options to her. It's surprising how many foods have egg as an ingredient, which means Gwendoline's diet since the diagnosis has been pretty boring and repetitive. So yesterday, at the recommendation of her allergist, we took her in for her baked egg challenge.

Apparently the protein in egg changes at a molecular level when it is baked or heated to a certain point. I don't know the details. It's science. People with less severe egg allergies like Gwendoline, who is a 3 on the 0-6 allergy scale, can sometimes tolerate baked egg, even though they still have an allergy to egg. So I did the unthinkable, at least in our house... I made blueberry muffins WITH EGGS! (Recipe from the allergist.) We took the muffins, Gwendoline, and an arsenal of toys and distractions with us to the allergist's office yesterday morning. The test is four hours long, and I know my kiddo well enough to know that there was no way in heck she was going to take a nap while we were there. Needless to say, Jeph and I were worried on multiple levels. First, because we were going to be feeding our child the equivalent of poison; and second, because we were going to be stuck in a 10' x 10' exam room with a very active, high maintenance 12.5 month old for four hours. Oh, and no food other than the muffin was allowed for Gwen, so using food as a distraction was off the table. This also meant she was going to be tired and hungry. Yikes.

The nurses gave Gwen her first bite of egg-filled muffin and we all waited for 20 minutes. No reaction! So then they gave her a larger "dose" of muffin and waited another 20 minutes. Still no reaction! We did this two more times until she had eaten the entire muffin, then we waited some more. Four hours after the first bite, she was reaction free! The allergist has deemed her free to eat foods with baked eggs!

The following types of food are now ok for Gwen to try, though we need to introduce them slowly and watch for reactions for up to 24 hours.

• baked goods- pancakes, waffles, muffins, biscuits, rolls, breads, cookies, cake, crackers, etc.
• pastas
• breadings
• ice cream!

We are still to avoid the following like the plague:

• whole eggs- scrambled, fried, etc.
• condiments- ranch, mayonnaise, Caesar dressing
• Alfredo sauce
• quiche
• souffle
• meringue
• anything that is generally considered "eggy"

We are very pleased that Gwendoline now has more food options. Not that we're going to stuff her with sweets, but it's nice to know that she can safely eat Chick-fil-A nuggets on the run or that we can have a family spaghetti night. And it also gives us peace of mind that she's not going to go into anaphylactic shock if she accidentally eats another child's cookie. We'll go back in 6 months, when Gwendoline is 18 months old, for another blood test to see if her egg allergy is gaining or losing steam. We're still very hopeful that she'll outgrow it completely!

Pulse and blood pressure checks every 20 minutes

Chilling out with Mom and some Yo Gabba Gabba

Baby-ventions

For the last year, I've been keeping a list of all the things I think would make life easier for mommies and babies alike. Here are a few of those things.

• Breast milk dehydrator- Because breastfeeding mommas want to carry around powdered milk to mix on the go, too. Also, more freezer space.
• Pacifier headgear- Because it's not that fun to get up to reinsert the paci six times a night. And during naps. Obviously, it would have to be designed in such a way as to not choke or suffocate the pacifier-deficient child. 
• Double-sided pacifier- It was a day of jubilation when Gwendoline learned to move her pacifier from her hand to her mouth. But it still took a while longer for her to get the correct end of the paci in her mouth. Paci nub on both sides would solve that problem.
• Disposable, biodegradable onesies- I had to cut Gwendoline out of a couple of onesies because I just couldn't bring myself to pull it up over her head. Got poop everywhere? Just tear this one off and throw away. (I added "biodegradable" so that my "green" friends wouldn't be upset with me for polluting the Earth.)
• Interchangeable walking/jogging stroller wheels- Because I want to walk the mall and jog outside without having to buy a second expensive stroller.
• Middle spouted sippy cup- Without fail, Gwendoline tries to drink with the sippy spout upside down every time, and gets mad when noting comes out. Putting the spout in the middle of the cup instead of on one side would ease this frustration. 

If some of these things have been invented and are commercially available, I'm sad I missed out. And if anyone steals my ideas, I guess I deserve it for posting them online.

Do YOU have any baby-ventions that would make life easier for mommies and babies?

Gratuitous cuteness

I love the way she...

Snuggles on me after a nap

Lays her books out on the tile and scoots them around

Hightails it to her bouncy chair when she hears me making a bottle

Waits until I'm looking before giggling and diving into the dog bed

Walks on her toes

Smells after a nap (sweaty and sweet)

Unfolds all the clothes as quickly as I fold them

Loves the sound of running water, just like her daddy

Sucks the juice out of watermelon- loudly

Can't stay awake in the car

Puts her forehead to my lips when I pucker them for a kiss

The big O-N-E

Gwendoline turned ONE on August 26. I can't believe our baby is a year old! Gwendoline's first birthday party was this past weekend and was so much fun! It was very special to be surrounded by our family and friends as we celebrated not just Gwendoline's milestone, but ours as parents as well. We made it through a whole year! Through those physically and emotionally exhausting newborn days, through the in-between stages, and through the beginning of the toddler stage. And hey, we're all still alive and thriving! Gwendoline is an absolute joy to us each and every day. We can't wait to witness her growing up over the coming years.

In many ways, this past year has flown by, a blur of day-to-day activities, diaper changes, feedings, naps, play times, and milestones. But in other ways, the time has crawled so slowly... those fussy-for-no-reason days when nothing can please, those days we're stuck in the house with nothing to do, or the worst- those days when one, both, or all three of us are sick.

Unfortunately, illness has plagued our little family pre- and post-birthday celebration, though we were all blessed to be healthy during Gwendoline's birthday party weekend. Gwendoline contracted a virus the week prior that had her vomiting and feeling icky; fortunately, it passed pretty quickly and she was back to her old self the next day. Then she woke up with a runny nose on the Monday after her party (her actual birthday). Other than a little snot, she seemed to feel just fine so we continued on with our plan of a family trip to the SeaLife Aquarium in Grapevine. Gwendoline and I have been to the aquarium a few times, but this first time with Daddy there was so much fun! But later that night, Jeph came down with a stomach bug that kept him quarantined to the bedroom for close to 48 hours. But wait, there's more... Gwendoline's 12 month well check was on Tuesday, meaning time for some shots. Even though she still had a runny nose, the pediatrician thought it would be fine to go ahead with the shots since Gwendoline wasn't running a fever. Fast-forward seven hours... Gwendoline spikes her highest fever to date- 102.7. She continued running a fever throughout the night, but was back to almost normal the next morning. She still has a bit of a runny and stuffy nose, but is in good and playful spirits. Jeph is feeling better too and is back at work today.

Gwendoline got a great report from the pediatrician and has some new growth stats to share with you:

• Weight: 19 lbs., 12.5 oz. (51st percentile)
• Height: 30.5" (90th percentile!!)

I'm going to have to sign this girl up for basketball instead of ballet and gymnastics if she keeps getting taller! Because she is so tall and is now 12 months old, we plan to purchase her new big girl car seat this weekend. But don't worry- she'll still be rear-facing in the car till she's at least 2, and probably longer.

Happy first birthday, baby girl!

She loved her (egg-free) cake!

Aquarium fun with Daddy

No no no no...

There comes a day in every baby's life when "no-no" is introduced by mom and dad. We've told Gwendoline "no" before in the past, but realized that at that young age she wasn't able to judge her own actions as positive or negative. We were mostly saying "no" out of a knee-jerk reaction and to make ourselves be heard to ourselves. She's putting a still-plugged-in phone charger in her mouth? "NO!" as we rush to get it out of her mouth and hands. But Gwendoline is oh so smart and just a little crafty... She definitely knows how to work a situation to her advantage using her cuteness. Needless to say, Gwendoline's time for serious "no-no" from mom and dad is now.

We're still working on associating the words with negative or unwanted behavior. But she has the word itself down. In fact, she tells herself "no" all the time, while staying the course of her action:

• "No no no no..." as she continues to play with/in the trashcan.
• "No no no no..." as she continues to cram dog food into her mouth.
• "No no no no..." as she rushes toward the toilet with a toy in hand.
• "No no no no..." as she pets (i.e., pummels) the poor, sweet dog. 
• "No no no no..." as she giggles and buries her face into the furry, not-recently-washed dog bed.

But my favorite "no-no" from Gwendoline is when she anticipates it coming in one of her favorite books. The page before the text that reads "no-no," she starts waving her hand in the air and squeaking "no no no no..." She's cute, even if she is a little crafty.  

Walking

Gwendoline took her first steps on her 11 month "birthday" on July 26. And it was truly amazing. I was proud of her when she learned to roll over, I was proud of her when she started eating solids, I was proud of her when she started crawling. But seeing her walk absolutely blows my mind. Now, almost a month after those first few, faltering steps, she is unstoppable. The only reason she'll crawl now is if she falls down and needs to crawl to the nearest couch/wall/human leg to pull back up on to continue walking. My mommy heart breaks a little to see her becoming so big and independent, but it also rejoices that she is learning, thriving, and excelling. Her curious and adventurous spirit is so precious to me.

July 27, 2013

August 23, 2013

Going for a walk is a little different now.