Are you a different person than you were five years ago? submitted by Sisterly Thoughts
Oh boy, am I.  I was destructive back then, but only in the typical 21 year old kind of way.  I partied too much, hung out with the wrong people sometimes, and had a thing for unavailable men.  I also thought that being a stay-at-home mommy would be a terrible life.  Turns out, I love everything about it.


If you could go on Amazing Race, who would you take with you as your partner and why? submitted by Thoughts from a Poekitten
Well clearly I'd have to take Jason.  I think he would be a really good partner, though.  He thinks completely differently from the way I do, so we'd be a good team.  He's also very resourceful!


Does Facebook or Twitter actually bring more stress or good in to your life? submitted by Just an Arizona Girl
Good.  I don't know what I'd do without the ability to keep up with my friends and family.  It's taken on an entire new meaning now that I live thousands of miles (and one big Pacific ocean) away.  
Sad truth:  When my blood pressure was at very dangerous levels right before I had KB, the nurses and doctor wanted me OFF my phone.  The bright changing colors could have triggered a stroke.  I didn't listen, because I NEEDED to be on Facebook.  The nurse caught me using my phone for Facebook right as she had to take my blood pressure again.  It had gone down.  She couldn't believe that Facebook was bringing my blood pressure down, but it was!


June is National Soul Food Month- what's your soul food? submitted by NH Girl Displaced
Southern fried goodness.  So think of a typical Southern meal, and that's it.  Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, home-grown (and canned) green beans/butter beans/black eyed peas/corn, biscuits, and then finished off with coconut pie.  Oh my gosh.  I still swear that I was only able to manage only gaining 12 lbs during the healthy part of my pregnancy because I was nowhere near my grandmother and her cooking.


If you could live in any other era than the current, which one would it be & why? submitted by Sugar in My Grits
I would love, love, love to live in Victorian America (1837 - 1901), but only if I get to be in a very wealthy family.  You know.. like in a romance novel.  I want servants, and I want to wear gorgeous dresses, and I want to be courted.  Also, I kind of need the Civil War to not happen.  Thanks.
-Random thing that just happened- When you Google "Victorian America" (I wanted to be sure I got the years right), the name Emily Jane White comes up.  Apparently, she's a singer who released an album entitled Victorian America.  Oh, and for those who don't know me personally, White is my maiden name.  Weird, huh?

I won't even ask what could happen next.  I won't say "Things couldn't get any worse." Sure they could.  Something else could always happen.

Today will be relaxed for us, which makes me very happy.  After spending 2 full days in the AMC terminal, I am happy for a day in my house.  I am also very happy that I did spend those two days in the terminal, because if I had left either of those days, we wouldn't be here to celebrate his first Father's Day.  Things work like they're supposed to ;)


Honey has Saturday duties, so I had to pick him up first thing this morning (after I found out our flight was grounded for the day.. again.).  Then we went for brunch at IHOP.  It isn't nice or fancy, but it's one of the only places on our side of the island that does breakfast.  And Honey LOVES breakfast.


Since he is napping right now (because I'm the best wife ever), I have a few minutes to myself.  I'm going to use those minutes to tell everyone why he's such a great Daddy and Husband.

• He changes just as many diapers as I do (when he's home).
• He takes the early mornings with Katie Beth since I will be home with her all day.  -  I like to think he's just doing it to help me out, but I really think he enjoys alone time with her, too.
• He feeds KB just as often as I do, and more often than I do when he's home.  
• He sings silly songs and reads silly stories to our baby girl.
• He gets her dressed when I ask him to, and her clothes even match!  And sometimes he remembers shoes!
• He steams veggies, bakes apples, and indulges me when I say that we're going to teach KB to eat in a way he's never heard of before.  (Baby Led Weaning)
• He plays with KB, but he also teaches her things.  
• He gives me back rubs when I've had a hard day, even though he was the one at an actual job all day.
• His clothes usually make it into the laundry basket :)
• He makes the bed if he's the last one up.  I don't even do that.
• He helps me clean the kitchen every night, unless I specifically say, "No, you [do whatever], I've got the kitchen.

Most of the time, it's really hard for me to remember that KB is a preemie. - Besides that whole thing where she's really tiny for a 9.5 month old.  She has hit every single milestone right on track except for her first words.  (We're still anxiously awaiting that one.)  She rolled over early, she crawled a little early, she's got that pincer grip down pat, and she even just started pulling up and standing.  She's perfect.  Except... she hates to eat and she's not gaining weight very well.

For months this wasn't an issue.  I thought her reflux was finally gone because she was taking bottles so well.  We introduced solids and she did well with those for a little while.  Then, all of a sudden, she hates the bottle and she hates the spoon.  I don't know what changed!  She went from eating like a little champ (she loved carrots and squash and green beans) to clamping her lips down so tight I couldn't get the spoon in there if I tried.  She went from taking 25 - 28 oz a day to screaming and fighting us every time we try to bottle-feed her.



We've tried everything: bought back the dreaded Prevacid, which isn't so dreaded anymore.  KB actually likes the taste of it now.  Changed and re-changed formula brands. The pediatrician thinks this may be behavioral, that she just *doesn't want* the bottle anymore, but I don't know.  She also has us concentrating her formula, so that every ounce that does go down has a few extra calories.

About eating, it's a whole other story.  I think KB hates the spoon because I forced peas in a few times when I shouldn't have.  I feel like a bad Mommy, but I bet we've all done it.  Well, not anymore for us.  We've found baby-led weaning (from here on out I'll just refer to it as BLW), and it's been a God-send.  The basic concept is that since babies don't need food for nutrition just yet, why are we force-feeding them purees that they obviously hate?  A baby doesn't need to go through the stages of eating that Gerber would make us think they do.  As long as they put them in their mouths themselves, chunks are perfectly fine.  Most of the time it just falls right back out in the beginning, but it's good practice.  And no, she won't choke, I promise!  I put chunks of steamed veggies, fruit, whole wheat bread dipped in yogurt, all sorts of stuff in front of her.  Sure, sometimes she just plays, but she's getting better at actually making it to her mouth, keeping the food in there long enough to chew and swallow, and actually eating!

This is what meals look like now - here we have avocado and mango.

Since BLW is already what we're doing, the pediatrician has suggested that we give her the most fattening things we can.  She's eaten avocado every day for 4 days now.  Actually, I think she's starting to get sick of it, so I probably won't do that for tomorrow.  She has lots of whole milk yogurt.  This morning we tried scrambled eggs made with cream, but they weren't such a hit.  Mango was also not a hit, but she loves watermelon!

All this to say, we're still having feeding issues 9.5 months later.  It's hard.  My head hurts.  I need a beer.  I'll probably have one when she goes down tonight.  Because you know what?  Praise the Lord, my baby girl is a good sleeper!  I thank Him every single day that He gave me a good sleeper to make up for the fact that she's a terrible eater.

1. Our house can officially hold at least 3 extra adults comfortably.  I think we could really hold 4, just so y'all know.  Plan your vacations!
2. When family visits, it is best to have more than one vehicle.  The grandparents were happy to rent one, which was a huge help since our second vehicle is still being worked on.  (I still need to write about that cluster-eff)
3. You see, there are rarely more than 2 adults in our house, so we have enough furniture for 2 adults.  We have a large couch and a large recliner.  With 3 extra adults, we were in desperate need for more seating. We got two of these bad boys!

When you vacation what type of vacation do you like to take (beach, historic, adventurous, food oriented, etc.)?submitted by Megan Dub-Yuh
Most of the vacations in my life have been either beach or historic.  Food oriented??  That's an option?!  Can somebody PLEASE sign me up for that one?  Better yet - can I get a food and adventure combo??  That would be fantastic!  (That way I wouldn't be the size of a house after the food vacation.)

What is your best memory associated with a song (you know we all have tons!) submitted by Ramblings of a Marine Wife
PREJUDICE!  WROTE A SONG ABOUT IT.  LIKE TO HEAR IT?  HERE IT GO! - I'm 10, riding down some highway in the back of my mom's friend Christy's Mustang.  Mom and Christy are jamming Salt N Pepa while Scott and I are learning these lyrics and have no clue what they mean.


If you had six months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with your time? submitted by Married to the Army
Jason has to be with me for this to work, so he'd need a 6 month leave of absence from the Navy :)  Assuming the Navy allowed that to happen, we would go all over the place.  I want to take him to New Orleans, he wants to take me to Idaho.  We want to go to Boston together.  We are both desperate for a trip to Europe together.  I want to go to London, and Athens, and Italy.  I can't even list all of the places I'd like to go.. you'd get sick of reading.

What is one thing about you that people do NOT typically notice at first that you wish they would? submitted by Our Motto is Patience
While this isn't so much about me, it is myself who has to answer the question over and over and over.  This question which is always asked by eyes and never by mouths:  "Why is your daughter so small for a 9 month old?"  I wish people could just know that she was born at only 2 lbs, 11 oz.  She isn't malnourished, I promise.