Emily's first Dinosaur BBQ experience

Yesterday my mom, aunt, Emily and I went to the Dinosaur BBQ for lunch for some slathered smoked ribs and chicken.  Emily was having a clingy day and was pretty  much glued to me at the restaurant.  I tried many times to get her to sit in her high chair but she cried and cried.  I didn't want to disrupt everyone in the restaurant so I kept her on my lap.
As soon as my ribs and chicken came she started digging right in!  She ate some scalloped potatoes and then grabbed a rib off my plate!  She started chowing down, ripping at the meat with her teeth.  She LOVED it!
I caught it on camera too!  Here are a few shots from the restaurant.

17 months-Weight issues arise once more

I feel like this is a never ending battle.  My child has such a difficult time gaining weight!  Mainly because she seriously doesn't stop moving when her little eyes are open.  When I say she doesn't stop, she doesn't stop!  She is running in circles around the staircase located in middle of the house or jumping off her anywhere chair or pulling all of my plastic storage bins out of the cabinet drawer or pushing around her doll stroller.

At her last appointment, she weighed 17 lbs 6.5 oz.  The week before, we had to go in to see the doc due to a double ear infection and she weighed 17 lbs. 4.5 oz.  So she did gain 2 oz in a week, BUT the doctor is still worried because she has been stuck at 17 lbs since November. 

The doctor is also worried about her head growth.  Her head hasn't grown since November either.  The nurse measured her three times and then the doc mesured her twice.  Pedi said that is could be that she has a small head or it could be something else.  I am trying not to freak out.  I mean, both my husband and I were small kids and really, we have smaller heads so of course she isn't going to have some large melon head.  Also, she had her 18 month appointment 2 weeks after she turned 17 months.  We are missing two weeks of growth here!!

We have to go back in 6 weeks for a weight and head circumference check.

I am going to fatten this child up!  Here is what I am going to try:

-Fixing her pasta for meals twice or three times a week

-Kefir smoothies- Kefir is a cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your "inner ecosystem." More nutritious and therapeutic than yogurt, it supplies complete protein, essential minerals, and valuable B vitamins. Plus, 8 grams of fat per serving!


-Cream cheese filled cheerios for snacks
 
-Adding avocado to pasta sauce

- She already drinks organic whole milk- about 15-20 oz per day

- Bread and butter with meals

-French toast with double egg

If anyone has some ideas, I would love to hear them!  She is not a big meat eater and refuses eggs unless they are in other foods.

In other news, she said "bear" last night when we pointed to a bear. Awwwwwww :o)

Pics

Look!  I found a huge box!

A look back at 16 months

The last month has just flown by with Christmas and new Years.  Emily is really blossoming into a little toddler with quite an attitude!  She knows what she wants when she wants it.

She will stand by the fridge and point to either the fridge for milk or the freezer for an ice cube.  She loves to suck on ice cubes in her mesh feeder.  It is great for teething and also great for getting liquids into her tiny body.


Words: "dada" (for both mom and dad), "no", "yes", "cheese" (usually when I am taking a picture of her),  "kitty", "woof" (for dog), shoe, and when she wants something, she will point and say "ya ya ya ya ya".

Teeth: 8 teeth including one molar fully through and one that just poked through a few days ago.  She is teething like crazy right now.  At one point, we saw blood in her mouth from agrivated gums.


Sleep: Emily is a great sleeper.  She will go to sleep around 8:30-9pm and usually sleeps right through.  She wakes up typically between 8-8:30 am.  Last month she went through a phase where she wanted to fall asleep while laying on me other wise she would scream and yell "dada" (both DH and I are dada).  It lasted for a couple weeks until We just put up with the crying for a few nights.  Now she is back to going to sleep on her own with no complaints.


Food: Emily is typically a good eater.  She eats a good size portion of whatever we give her, especially pasta with tomato sauce.  He favorite foods are bananas, pasta, chicken nuggets, hot dogs and peas.  She LOVES peas.  She would eat them at every meal if I let her.  Also carrots and bread.  She is not to keen on meats, but will eat an occational hot dog or chicken nugget.  We tried pulled pork last week and she liked that, of course with bread.  I sneak protein in by feeding her those Gerber Graduates ravioli stuffed with pork or beef.  She refuses to eat eggs or deli meat.
She is learning to eat with sppons and forks.  Sometimes she actually gets food into her mouth!  Emily refuses to eat a meal without a spoon or a fork.  That is a good thing right?

Clothes: She is in size 18 months with plenty of room to grow.  She has long legs so her pants fit in length but the waist is always huge so I have to roll them, even with the adjustable waist pants!!