8 Things You Don't Know About Me

This has been floating around Facebook and I have been putting it off after being assigned this number. I honestly wasn't going to do anything about it. Then I found myself thinking of things I could write. So I decided why not share some of the things about myself that make me ME?

1) My sister and I shared a bed pretty much until the day I left for college. We had our own rooms, but she crept into my room every night and we ALWAYS said, "Goodnight, love you, see you tomorrow."

2) In my car, the air has to be on 60, 65, or 70. After 70 it can be intervals of 2. 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, etc. I have no clue why, but odd numbers, besides 5 really bother me...mostly just in the car.

3) In early November 2009, I prayed that God would come into my life and have a stronger presence. 2 weeks later, a positive pregnancy test proved that he did that very week I started praying. I was not "regular" as they say and had absolutely no idea I could even conceive at that time.

4) I hate my body and I always have, even before kids. Except my butt, I have always loved my butt. AKA my Shea-lo.

5) I consider my C Section scar a badge of courage, a tiger stripe, and I secretly love it for what it resembles. Who needs a tattoo when you have a full on, still tender, crooked daily reminder of how my children got here? Side note: I  hate the roll of fat it caused above it. Moving on...

6) I have always pictured myself as the mom of 3 boys...for as long as I can remember. So far so good.

7) I was not one of those little girls that dreamed of my wedding day. I did not enjoy planning a wedding and I had pretty much zero interest in doing anything "outside the box". All I wanted was my husband and to start our lives together. Kyle made just as many decisions as me and planned the same amount (if not more than me) for our wedding. He chose the place, the Honeymoon, pretty much did our whole registry, and then some. I was just happy to be marrying the man I had always dreamed of...and he still is.

8) I left a job in 2011 where I was making close to 6 figures (in a down economy) to become a stay at home mom. I was also the breadwinner. I had no business doing this. Kyle was nothing but supportive and assured me "God will provide." He got promoted and transferred to Houston 3 months later.

Aside from the weird quirky things I posted above, what I found myself wanting to share the most were the moments where I saw God having a hand in my life. Ever since that positive pregnancy test, which was Holt, I feel like God and I have a deal. I asked for Him to come into my life, He did, and now I try to spend my days getting better at being closer to Him. I'm still new on my "walk" and so green about it. What would you share about yourself?

Food Therapy Week 2

I thought I would go ahead and update weekly, since I'm sending an email to my family each week, I can easily post here. For those of you that are interested anyways. I did not get a chance to update last week because it was so crazy with Halloween going on right after therapy. He did really well, but given the menu I was not surprised. It was Sun Butter (sunflower seed butter, which is an alternative to peanut butter should someone in class have a nut allergy), bread, jelly, celery, raisins, and caramel apples. He tried a bite of celery and spit it out. He is certainly more willing to try things at therapy versus at home, but he has improved at least trying them. The All Done Cup does help encourage him to at least try food he would have normally pushed away, which he is doing. He is quick to tell you if he will put it to his mouth or actually take a bite. I'll take anything at this point. He is fully aware if he likes something he can put it in his tummy, which he decided to do with some refried beans last night.

They told us that we should not use dessert or sweets as a reward anymore. It's the first thing that comes out of my mouth when I'm trying to get him to eat something. Basically it should be part of the meal and not the end reward. Sweets suppress the appetite. However, if meal time is really not going well, go ahead and give into the sweet, but return to the other foods also. Seems backwards, but this is all new to all of us! You can reward with other things that are not food, like stickers or staying up a little later.

Toddler Meals: 2-3 snacks and 3 meals everyday. (2.5-3 hour intervals) Offer 3 different tastes and textures at each. Lets be real, snacks typically consist of 1 thing, not 3. Ain't nobody got time for that!

Serving size: 1 tablespoon per year of age of each nutritional group. (fruits, veggies, protein, grains) This is probably how he has been able to maintain a "healthy" weight. What he doesn't eat in one category, he makes up for in another. Also, only 3 foods should be offered at a meal, at most 5. Obviously this is a lot of work and I have not been very good at this rule, but it is my goal going forward to take a little more time preparing more fresh meals with seasonings he might actually enjoy. Frankly, I wouldn't want to eat frozen peas and carrots either. Really toddlers do not require that much food, for instance 1 slice of bread is more than a serving size. Also, 4 crackers is considered a serving. We all know Holt can eat him some crackers! Here are some more that might surprise you: 1/2 cup of rice and cereal, 1/2 cup beans, and 3/4 egg.

This next month they are trying something new and offering the same food every week. That would be Thanksgiving food! Maybe by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, he will actually eat his first Thanksgiving meal! Fingers crossed.