If you give a baby a present...

What will she play with?

Happy Birthday, Sugar Plum!

I absolutely, positively can NOT believe this little girl of mine is ONE YEAR OLD!

Wasn't it just yesterday you looked like this?

Baby girl, you have this sweet, infectious personality that draws people in. You love to smile, laugh and snuggle, and you've just started giving big kisses. Daddy calls you my little monkey because most of the time you're riding along on my hip, happy as can be. If I'm especially busy or distracted while carrying you this way, you lean out as far as you can and look at me with this big grin, as if to say, "don't forget about me!"

You are very determined, trying your best to keep up with big sister whenever you can. You will try and climb just about anything and have just started taking a few steps. You love to dance - either sitting down or while you're crawling, so cute! You love to play patty cake and peek a boo, and clap your hands. And for the last few weeks you've been teething like mad, poor thing.

My heart is filled to near bursting, and I get all mama-mushy and teary eyed when I try to put it into words. I worried a little bit about how I would be as a mama to two, about balance and individual attention and sleep and such. There could not have been a more perfect addition to our family than you, sweet girl, and I can't imagine life without you in it.

{Dairy Free} Creamy Berry Sorbet

I love ice cream, but with Sugar Plum being milk protein intolerant, I can't eat dairy. This summer there have been plenty of wonderful homemade Popsicles to go around, but I still crave ice cream. My solution was to create this creamy berry sorbet - dairy free but deliciously creamy, it absolutely fulfills my ice cream cravings. I would recommend it to anyone with or without a dairy allergy!

We've had a banner year for berries (strawberries & blackberries) and this recipe has worked well with each combination I've tried. Here are some of our favorites so far:

Blackberry
Strawberry
Triple Berry (Blueberry, Strawberry, Blackberry)
Peach Strawberry
Strawberry Lime

And now to the super simple recipe:

Mix 1 cup water with 1 cup sugar to make a simple syrup. Add 2 cups of your choice of fruit, and cook the mixture until the fruit softens. Use a potato masher or immersion blender to mash/blend the mixture. Cool for a few hours and add 1 cup of unsweetened coconut or almond milk. Mix well and follow the directions on your ice cream maker. Enjoy!

Tips to Soothe a Teething Baby

Little Miss Teething here has been showing me a new pearly white each day it seems...for not having any teeth at 6 months, she is making up for lost time. It's so hard to see your little one hurting and fussing with the pain of teething, and if you're like me, you don't want to over medicate. Here is a fast, frugal, and effective way to provide at least some relief from teething pain!


I bought a food mill from Munchkin when Sweetpea was starting solid foods, and it came with this fresh food feeder. At first, she wasn't much of a fan. Once she started teething though, we discovered it is a wonderful thing.

Fill this feeder with ice chips, frozen peas or frozen fruit for quick relief for your little one. My favorite is the ice chips for the easy clean up ;) Another option that Sugar Plum really likes is to fill the feeder with thick cereal (rice, oatmeal, etc) and freeze it. The cereal thaws pretty quickly, but she loves it. (that's what she's eating in the picture)

If you don't have one of these fresh food feeders, a washcloth and a rubber band will do the trick as well, at least with ice chips. Place a few ice chips in the center of your washcloth, wrap the cloth around the ice and fasten securely with the rubber band. I've also heard some babies like a wet washcloth or a damp washcloth that has been frozen, though my girls never seemed interested in that particular trick. (if I've learned one thing from having two girls, though, it's that each baby wants what they want, and they are definitely unique!)

What tricks worked for you and your teething babies?

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

With the comments of a local radio host recently suggesting that women who nurse in public are exhibitionist, I thought I'd post my own example of just how discreet it can be. I think women should be free to nurse any way they want or need to in public. Nourishing our young ones isl in no way exhibitionist. I never use a cover, partly because I can't see what I'm doing, and partly because once my girls discovered their hands they would never leave them in place anyway. Even though I'm not "covered" I am always covered, because that's what makes me feel comfortable. If you're interested, I've written about nursing discreetly in public here.

Celebrating WBW at the state fair, nursing next to a real pro! Sugar Plum is glad she doesn't have that much competition...

Who's that pro I'm referring to?

Here she is! (her babies are a bit blurry, because they were so excited to be eating)

I have a few other posts planned for this week, if I can make the time. I hope so, because I'm excited about them!

This post was submitted for wordful wednesday and works for me wednesday