1. I need another book. Recommendations? I just finished the Help (which I loved) and I don't really have a next one in line. What should I pick up?
2. We are working on getting Lucy off bottles. (not fun) For a long time she wouldn't do sippy cups, now she will drink several sips of water during meals with those nuby sippy cups. But she won't take milk out of them. What am I supposed to do? She is still supposed to be getting 15 ounces of milk a day. Any suggestions?
3. Lucy requires a lot of attention these days- which I don't mind playing with her but I run out of ideas. I feel like we are both bored. (which is shocking with all the toys she has-so overrated!) I really need activities to do with her, things we can play together. Some things we try to do is play doh, "rice" box, coloring, dancing time...and that's the end of the list. The problem is each activity lasts 10 minutes, so i need to be well stocked with ideas! What are some good activities particularly ones that can help her learn and develop skills for a one year old? I would love all the ideas you got! Do any of you set up like a routine schedule of daily play activities? Gimme all ya got!
Thank you in advance...I love all the answers I always get on the blog! :) Y'all are awesome!
15 comments:
wow i cant believe how much i can relate! Josan took FOR EVER to get off the bottle. Did you try giving her milk in a normal cup? or with a straw? josan took so long to like sippy cups!
Also, i think josan is bored every single day. I think when they are the only child they are not used to use their imagination by themselves. Josan is now a lot better at being entertain (almost with nothing!) but til Lucy gets there too, we used to love making cookies or cakes, blanket forts, play ball or with balloons, go for walks or at the pool and read. hang in there, it gets easier!:)
Okay obviously I can't help you with the second two questions, but since you liked Ella Enchanted, I'll continue to suggest books that you somehow missed while growing up. 1) Harry Potter because I'm pretty positive you haven't read past #3, and if you can handle the Hunger Games, you can definitely handle Harry Potter. 2) Historical fiction by Ann Rinaldi (I remember In My Father's House being good) 3) The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede (I just recently reread these when I gave them to my sister in law and I still liked them.)
If you need something more grown-up to read around your mom friends, try The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or British chick lit like Twenties Girl or Remember Me? (Sophie Kinsilla) and Finishing Touches or The Little Lady Agency (Hester Browne).
If someone tells you to read Tina Fey's Bossypants, I will warn you that I just read it this weekend and it wasn't quite all it was cracked up to be.
P.S. If you like mysteries, try The Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters
Good questions. I don't know if anyone really has the answers :P. Some book recommendations: well, some of my favorites are Ella Enchanted, the Narnia Series by C.S. Lewis, I also do like the Percy Jackson vs. the Olympians series. For question #2: I have NO Idea. My doctor recommended giving our girl a little bit of Chocolate milk and strawberry milk to slowly get her used to Milk, and slowly phase it out by making it like half and half till it was ALL milk. Maybe it might work for getting her to drink milk from a sippy cup. Have it be chocolate milk or strawberry milk, then slowly phase it out till it's all just whole milk. Anyway, hope that helps. Then for question #3, I am trying to see what activities were good when my daughter was one. Going Outside was ALWAYS fun :) when the whether was good. Eating otter pops. :P playing in a little baby pool, blowing bubbles, sidewalk chalk,...I'll have to keep thinking, but hope that helps.
since i should be cleaning my house instead of checking your blog.... 1) look on goodreads at what a lot of your friends have read- that is a good place to start (or copy cat what book group is doing even if you don't go) 2) if lucy eats other things with calcium-yogurt, cheese, etc. she doesn't need as much milk as she did before. it took siena a while to like milk from a sippy, even though she liked water from a sippy. 3) do you have a pass to the children's museum? do you go to story time? {tuckahoe has a great one and we often stay after and play with toys}... and last summer I felt like we went to the POOL at least 3 times a week! lucy is getting to a great age to do so many fun things like that. siena has never played well by herself- we read a LOT of books and she is just now starting to like coloring. hope this helps a little :)
1. I'm reading The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Dr. Laura Schle-something. It's kind of embarrassing to admit, but I do think it's great so far. Basically it says stop being a brat and give him the benefit of the doubt and you'll be much happier. Not that either of us really need to be told that. But it's a good reminder:)
2. I had the same struggle with Tom. I tried all sorts of cups and finally found one he LOVES. It's Pampers brand and is blue with handles. The spout is rubber and we had tried other similar spouts, but for some reason this one was the only one he'd take milk out of.
3. Bubbles, library, and walks walks walks. We're actually having the same problem though. Thank goodness for the pool!
read.
I just found these awesome cups at Target, they are like sippy cups but with a straw instead of a spout, and they are still spill proof! Liam loves them, he much prefers a straw to a sippy cup, especially when he sees me drink from a straw.
I JUST heard of the idea to try blending bananas with milk. I haven't tried it yet, but I think it would give the milk an awesome sweet taste without it being unhealthy, I'm going to try it for breakfast tomorrow and see if Liam likes it.
As for activities: BUBBLES, walks, sand pits, playing with rocks outside, drawing (get her big paper and big crayons and make sure the floor underneath is cleanable), or even finger paints or watercolors, and draw with her, Liam loves when I draw with him. Balls, rolling them, bouncing them, kicking them, throwing them, ripping paper into little pieces, ....you know those styrofoam peanuts?... you could get a cd of sing along kids songs and make up motions to all of them.
but honestly, what we do most of the time these days though, is coloring, walks, playing outside, and playing with balls and trucks. Most of the time that's his whole day. We also go swimming a lot.
I just finished "The Host" and I really liked it. And I have no idea about the kiddie stuff... I'm going to be asking you these same questions in a year:)
If you want a totally indulgent pleasure read (nothing substantial about it) I really enjoyed the City of Bones series. My mom and sisters recommended them to me and I couldn't put them down! There are 5 books already out with more on the way... and just promise not to stop at the end of book one because it leaves you angry but you must keep going and it gets way better!
As for the rest of your questions I can't help much there.
Can't help with the last questions because Eliana isn't there yet. But for books I agree with Lauren, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede are super cute. Also I read a series called The Zion Covenant by Bodie & Brock Thoene. They are historical fiction.
With the bottles, I always followed the rule, Out of sight out of mind. I packed the bottles up and put them away somewhere where the boys would never look. They usually struggled for a couple of days. My youngest it took about a week and a half, but not seeing them helped them forget faster. As far as play goes. You just need to take her outside and let her explore. Babies at that age love to figure things out on their own and are stimulated just by watching others. She may still stay right next to you but she will watch everything around her.
I just read The Help, too. Good stuff.
Addie didn't like milk from about 12-18 months. She ate lots of cheese and yogurt during that time...
I like to do the Feed Your Brain summer reading program at Half Price Books. We get LOTS of free books from that.
I liked A Lantern in Her Hand, and I see someone recommended The Care and Keeping of Husbands. That was a good book. I didn't think it would be.
Allison never had an issue switching from bottles, Evan, it took 2 months of offering the sippy cup EVERY day before he took it one day and as soon as he took it (with milk) I packed up the bottles and never brought them out again. Clara is still taking a bottle. I am working on it but not too worried. They will, eventually, get over the bottle-only phase. It's hard when it's your first, to realize that every phase does end.
I guess I don't think about play time anymore because there is so much going on every day that Clara just makes her own fun. I'm trying to remember when I just had one...we went to the park a lot, on walks a lot, the library, play dates with friends. At home we read a lot, he helped me cook (squished food while I cooked), dance party, made forts from the couch cushions, played on our little slide, played toss and catch with balls, chase.
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