4 Months (late pics)

I about three weeks late in posting Lily's 4 month pictures.  I kept forgetting to take her pictures and then once I did forgot to upload the pictures from our canon.  Here are some pictures and a little about how our Lily is doing.

At 4 months old Lily....

Likes

1.  To chew on everything, including fingers

2.  Being held facing out so she can see everything around her.

3.  Watching Bella dance and sing.

4.  Being kissed on both cheeks

5.  Giggles often now at funny faces, tickles, and kisses

6.  The stroller more without the infant seat attached

Dislikes
1.  Being overtired  :)

Lily is the sweetest and happiest baby.  She is very agreeable....until she gets overtired.  She still loves being held and sleeping with mama.  She also loves grabbing her toes and rolling over. As soon as she is put on her back she flips over to her tummy, and fusses to get picked up.  She loves watching mama cook and be in the kitchen.  She has gotten SO big and we can't belive how fast she as grown.  At four months she weights 17 lbs 10 oz and is 25 1/4 inches long.  She is going to catch up with Bella pretty soon.

Summer Bucket List

We are about halfway through our summer bucket list which is good because it's almost August! I can't believe it! Making sidewalk chalk paint was on our list. I cannot tell you how much Miss Bella loved it!! Maddie had a friend over and they were doing a project in the back... I guess sidewalk chalk painting isn't cool when you're 12 or have a friend over.
Bella was painting "rainbows" over and over again and kept getting farther and farther down the sidewalk. She also painted a few rainbows for daddy where he parks his car. Sweet.

We Did It

So, we did it! We finished our 10 Day Real Food Challenge. I learned how to make homemade tortillas, awesome chicken stock from the best whole chicken in the crockpot, and spaghetti sauce from scratch. Besides the new foods I made we are on this band wagon for good! Our goal is to continue eliminating processed foods and keep eating whole foods that properly fuel our bodies. During the past ten days we have felt better than ever, had smaller appetites, less cravings, and noticed positive changes in our children's behavior.
Of course we know that we cannot be perfect all of the time, but these are lifestyle changes. We are excited and we are loving trying new things and continuing on this journey of good food!!

Discovery Village

Bella loves Discovery Village in Gig Harbor. Today we met some friends for a play date. They climbed, went down the slide, played vet, grocery shopped, and played in sand and water. So much fun!

First Dentist

Today was Bella's first dentist appointment. The second attempt.... I had to really talk her into getting into the car, she was scared. I told her they were going to look at and count her teeth.. She seemed ok with that. Especially after I reminded her of the magic door she got to pick a prize from when she was all done. We got there and she very tentatively followed the hygienist into the back, turning around several times to make sure I was still there. She made it into the chair and tried on the sunglasses... She even liked the first couple of tools. She shot water and air herself. As soon as they showed her the noisy electric toothbrush she stiffened. She asked me to come sit with her and told them to " put that away.". She looked at both the ladies and said, "I just want my mommy.". They didn't want to push her in any way so she sat on my lap and they wanted to lean us back together. Forget it...
She saw that mask and we started tipping back and she froze. She said she wanted to leave.... So we did. We will try again in six months.
She still got to pick a prize from the magic door and was excited about that. After we left she told me they were "nice ladies.". I hope the third attempt gets us a bit farther.

Zoo

After our Portland Zoo disaster we thought we needed to give the zoo another try.... But just our local zoo. Everyone was well rested and had a great time! Grandma and cousin Peyton joined us. The camel ride was a big hit! Pictures below :

Day 5: Time

We all know that time is so precious and especially when you have kids, it seems as though there is never enough time to get everything done PLUS spend quality time with the kiddos. Eating Real takes a lot of time, effort, planning, and organization. There's no stopping at Subway for a quick dinner so mama doesn't have to cook. Although you can have a burrito bowl from Chipotle because they have hormone free meat and great produce.. A treat this weekend I think.
However I have been finding some things that have been working.. Meal planning first so I don't waste any of this precious produce. I had about 7 tomatoes from my sister so I decided to make spaghetti from scratch. Yes, like I cooked and peeled the tomatoes and cut all fresh veggies to make a sauce. It actually was less involved that I thought and the result was delicious. I have been getting breakfast ready and made the night before while the kids are asleep. That way we can just grab and eat in the morning. Speaking of breakfast I made these fabulous whole wheat banana pancakes from the 100 Days of Real Food blog. I substituted coconut oil for the butter, used oat milk( which is amazing for baking), added some vanilla, and egg replacer... They were so good! I mean really really good! Better than other homemade pancakes even.
So, yes eating this way is taking me some more time and more creative planning, but we are still feeling really great. I wonder if when this is over if I ate something sugary I would feel sick? We are also wondering if Stacy's headaches will get better without sugar?
So here is what we have been eating...
Breakfast: two days of whole wheat banana pancakes with 100% pure maple syrup ( we have been using this for over a year now and it is so much better than that other fake stuff). Also maple syrup and coconut oil are WAY cheaper at Trader Joes than anywhere else.
Lunches: burrito bowls, chicken lime burgers from Trader Joes(freezer), and sunbutter/honey sandwiches
Dinners: homemade spaghetti sauce with meat over whole wheat pasta, and tonight BLT sandwiches and a basil pasta salad
Well it's nap time and I have to get dinner ready for tonight. We are not missing any foods yet and are still feeling very satisfied.