What a difference a year makes!

Even if its officially closer to 14 mos at our place since Peanut entered our lives, there seems to be a definite border crossed at the one year mark - for the moms, I mean.

I see it in all the mamas in our playgroups: everyone is looking more slender each week, there is less nursing going on, a crying baby still gets looks of concern, but not confusion/panic, and mamas are even wearing make-up and fixing their hair! We've passed some bump on the learning curve and perhaps are looking for a balance of pre-baby and post-baby life.

I haven't made any efforts to diet or exercise beyond some walking each week and find myself fitting back into most pre-preg clothes -- not all since my hips are now permanently a bit wider :-). The extra weight isn't all gone, but that's OK, I can use a little more padding. But, most importantly, I feel good about my body nowadays. I appreciate the new curves, I understand how to keep my back from hurting and I don't feel the need to be exactly as I was.

Peanut and I have also developed a strong connection so we're both more secure in who's doing what and what it means. I know when she really needs attention and when she's just testing. I can judge when she's headed for trouble to help avert it or to be on hand to deal with the consequences. I know she's a strong little lady who isn't so fragile a little bump will damage her. And, Peanut knows when she needs me, I'm close at hand.

Because we've worked out better how we spend our day, I find a few extra moments in the morning to think about what would be fun to wear, try on some eye-liner and even ... on rare occassions ... put on different earrings or even (gasp!) a necklace!!

These are just small nods to a time before Peanut came. I know that life won't return and I'm not sure what I'd do with it if it did. But, its fun and important to take the time to blend in what you can.

Peanut awarded ribbon for 'Water Acclimation'

Its her first ribbon! I'm proud of her - our little Peanut already collecting ribbons ;-)

We just completed a baby swim class with Emler Swim School in Colleyville with a couple of Peanut's other playmates. It was a fun experience for us - she enjoyed playing in the water and I became very comfortable with her in the water which were really my main reasons for joining.

We chose Emler because the baby class there also included some water 'survival' skills - some underwater breath control (ie, not sucking in water), hanging onto the side of the pool and learning to look for mama in case baby falls in. I don't think Peanut's ready to hit the pool by herself, but now I know some fun ways to spend time in the pool with her. Plus she's no longer annoyed by water pouring on her head so shampoo-time is easier and she even enjoys the occassional shower with us.

Excuse me, but you seem to have dropped YOUR WASHING MACHINE in the MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY!!!

Driving on the Texas interstates takes some getting used to. When we were Finland, I didn't drive for four years, but was passenger enough to know we never had to dodge washing machines, trash bags, wood blocks or stalled cars left in the middle of the road on a weekly basis. (Yes, an occassional wild animal, ice patch or car buried in snow, but they were usually thoughtfully abandoned on the shoulder so if the roads were plowed you were OK).

Seriously, a washing machine. In the middle of highway 121. I was just cruising along and suddenly thought that's odd, there seems to be a big box or something up ahead. Driving past it, I saw that someone was not going to get their Kenmore delivered today.

But, only once have we had to swerve out of our lane to avoid a broken down car. This time on I-65 in the HOV lane. Driving, driving, driving...oh! car! in our lane!! not moving!!! No warning lights, no flags - just saved by fast reflexes and lack of cars in the lane next to us.

Its easy to see where all the trash bags and other rubbish come from - pick up trucks carrying too much cargo that's not tied down going too fast. We've now learned to always move to a different lane when we see such a car ahead.

One of my favorite moves is apparently called a 'Texas Exit'. You drive all the way in the left-hand lane and then seconds before your exit on the right, you just start floating across the lanes you need to cross. No need for a signal - just go! Though this one I can sometimes understand as signage here is usually located immediately before the exit so if you don't know where you're going, its just a knee-jerk reaction to seeing the sign. (Does it sound like I've done this before? Maybe I have, maybe I have.....)

The anti-milk baby

Since Peanut reached 12 mos old I've been trying to introduce milk to her, the baby that eats everything. Everything it seems, but milk. I mean really everything: lemons, Indian food, olives, corn on the cob -- on the cob, and practically everything made from milk.

I thought she'd eventually warm up to it. But, after a few days when she was still letting it all pour out of her mouth, I started going through the bag of tricks:

• heat the milk -> no
• slightly heat the milk -> no
• add favorite yogurt to milk -> no
• add LOTS of favorite yogurt to milk resulting in yogurt smoothie -> no
• give milk in sippy cup -> no
• milk in straw cup -> no
• milk in cup just like mama's -> no
• soy milk! -> no
• give milk while Peanut watches her favorite Nijntje video -> a few sips, but no

Next up are vanilla flavored soy milk and then, adding some chocolate to the milk.

In the meantime, Peanut gets cheese, cream cheese and yogurt at her meals to make up for all the milk she continues to refuse past her lips. The dr says most breastfed babies tend to protest for a while against milk that doesn't come from where breastfed babies think it should come from. And most will wean themselves entirely between 15 - 18 mos!

I never would have thought I'd be nursing Peanut this long though nowadays she only gets milk in the morning and evenings. She still is very interested at those times unlike at all the other feedings we easily dropped - she never once protested or tried to get mama-milk again during the day. I certainly don't mind the am & pm milks - they take all of 10 mins of my time, give me a chance to snuggle with Peanut and still work wonders in soothing her.

In the meantime, I keep trying to find ways to slip some milk into her - all suggestions welcome!