The Great Breakfast Experiment and other things

So I don't forget, I plan on talking about:
*The Great Breakfast Experiment and food
*Our new laundry game
*Sleep

So on to The Great Breakfast Experiment!

Lately Penelope has been refusing to eat lunch and dinner unless she gets to feed herself. This generally isn't too much of an issue since those foods are usually easy to eat with your fingers (although watching P eat rice and small shell macaroni has been entertaining to say the least... and messy. Very very messy). Anyway, I figured breakfast would be the next on our boycott list since her normal breakfast is not something she can feed herself. She gets 1/4 cup of Quaker oats mixed in with some hot water and a half a jar of Stage 3 baby fruit. It's not soupy, but you definitely need a spoon to eat it and we're not quite there yet.

So yesterday I bought frozen whole grain waffles and a variety of fruit and this morning I cut them up into convenient little bites and set some in front of her. She ate a few blueberries and some of the strawberries, decided raspberries were better in babyfood form, and refused to have anything to do with the waffles. Then she decided that it was much more fun to mash the fruit together than actually eat anything. I tried to feed her myself but that failed as well, so I mixed up her oatmeal breakfast and viola! she ate the whole bowl without fuss.

So I don't think she's ready to feed herself breakfast quite yet. I don't know what it is about breakfast that's different than the other meals... at least the waffles will keep for awhile until she is ready to eat them and she'll eat the fruit for snacks so nothing will really go to waste.

This brings us to laundry! Penny's usual way of "helping" mommy fold laundry consists of either pulling things out of the laundry basket and throwing them onto the floor or grabbing the freshly folded laundry off the couch and throwing it onto the floor. Can we say NOT helpful?

Yesterday however we happened upon a laundry game that she enjoys and is somewhat helpful. She grabs the laundry out of the basket and hands it to mommy to fold :) She generally hands me clothes faster than I can fold them and things would be easier if I did it on my own, but she has fun and I like to encourage her helping out. So this game can stay. She also loves it because I tell her "thank you" verbally and in sign language every time she hands me something. It makes her laugh, and anything that makes folding laundry fun is worth it (because lets be honest, it's a crappy chore).

And now sleep... I'm 90% sure she's getting another molar in because her sleep has been crappy. Well, crappy for her which would be pretty darn awesome for some babies I know. She wakes up around midnight and comes into bed with us where she proceeds to toss and turn (asleep, mind you) pushing either Bryan or I off the bed. It's awesome. (yes, that was sarcasm). Last night she stole Bryan's pillow and the night before she headbutted me multiple times in her sleep.

Although this is better than waking up every half an hour to go into her room and comfort her, even though one of these days I'm going to end up with a black eye.

Once the molar(s) come in we can hopefully go back to our super awesome sleep pattern of 8-7 or 7:30 in her own crib, but we'll see. She's got her two lower molars now so we need the two upper and then all four of her eye teeth.

I hate teething.

Ok, I think that's all for now.