Self Feeding. On Par.

Layla has gotten the whole "self feeding" thing down pat. She's doing great. We started small, a few puffers, yogurt melts (she loves!), cut up bananas (very small. This weekend I'm going to cut up some avocado for her!), we moved on to those little teething cookies but they've proven to be a challenge, so we're giving those a break for a while. Spoonfuls of food have also proven to be a challenge for her. She's GREAT at eating...but feeding herself the food is a challenge. It's pretty funny to watch her eat :).

Yes, that's a yogurt melt stuck to her forehead. Thanks daddy! :)

Sometimes, Layla amazes me. Ok, all the time. She's just so dang smart. I find myself forgetting that she's 7 months old a lot of the time and forcing myself to take a step back and just let her develop at her own pace. This is me, being a bit of a judgmental mother right now, but I know a lot of people who push their kids to be more than what they are. And not in a good way. If one kid does something, their kid MUST do it too. They have to be the best, the smartest, the biggest. Yes, I want Layla to succeed- but I want her to do it at her own pace and be proud of herself (let's face it, she's all about getting applause. She claps for herself. No joke). I don't want to set her up for failure. If I see her almost succeed at something, will I encourage and push her to do her best? Yes, absolutely. Will I say "you can stand because this other kid can stand!" or "you will read because another kid can read!"? no. Never. Layla is Layla. She needs to do stuff at Layla's pace. It's hard to remember- and no one is perfect. I'm constantly stepping back and saying "let her figure it out". I find myself reminding Matt as well- she needs to do it herself. That's the best way to make sure she's successful. Let her do it herself. She constantly surprises me with how much she knows how to do- and how much she teaches herself. I'm becoming pretty Montessori in my mothering and it's something I never expected of myself. She may be ahead in somethings but behind in others. For instance- she's been sitting independently since she was 4 months old, however, she doesn't know how to go from laying to sitting, and she's just now learning to crawl. She can feed herself all kinds of food- but can't hold her bottle yet. Who cares? Layla is Layla. The only person she needs to compare herself to is herself. She's doing great and I'm so proud of her.

It's almost Thanksgiving and I'm super excited! Our girls first major holiday! YAY! I cannot wait to put her in her super cute vintage dress I got her at the Goodwill and feed her some yummy foods :). Also, I want to get her a Thanksgiving book and teach her all about Thanksgiving. Maybe the fake one this year- the real one next? Do you think a one year old will be ready to hear about rape and pillage? 

Probably not. Better stick to the fake for a few years.