This morning I asked Mary James if she wanted to go vote with me.  She seemed very excited and answered “YEAH!!”  She then started saying “BOAT!  BOAT!  Poppy’s Boat!  Isaac, Jacob…BOAT!  Man did I feel like a horrible parent.  Thank goodness she’s only 23 months old so she quickly forgot about boating, er voting.

Reminds me of when I was little and my mom said we were going to Wendy’s.  Being a typical 5 year old, I assumed she meant we were going to my cousin Wendy’s house in Atlanta.  Three and half hours away, mind you, and it was dinner time, but I still didn’t think food Wendy’s.  I was sorely disappointed when we pulled up to the hamburger joint.

Speaking of boating, we went out on my father-in-law’s boat last weekend and had a blast!

We took Mary James to the park for the first time this weekend.  She loved it!!!!

Mary James may be petite (she’s around 10-15 % in height and weight), but man can she eat!  She started refusing baby food around nine and half months.  Oh and did I mention she has learned to shake her head “NO” when she doesn’t want something???   Yeah…so that’s fun.

When she discovered that she could shovel food into her mouth much faster than I could, spoon feeding went out the window.  Unless that spoon is carrying precious cargo in the form of guacamole or ice cream!  The child will eat ANYTHING!   (Including non-edibles: cat food, cat hair, dog hair, people hair, fuzz in general).  Gasp!

At Mary James’ nine month appointment, I asked her pediatrician what she should be eating.  He said “Honestly Erin?  My son ate whatever was on our plate.”  I told him I knew peanut butter and honey were off limits until a year of age, but was there anything else?  He replied, “Egg whites and citrus fruit.  Albumin in the egg and oil in the rinds of citrus fruits can cause possible allergic reactions.”  OOPS!  She had already eaten quite a few eggs, lemons and mandarin oranges by this point.  Thank goodness she didn’t have any allergic reactions.

I know her appetite and non-picky palate will not last forever so I am savoring these moments.  And of course, documenting them for the future.   You know…so I can say “Well you loved it when you where a baby!?!”  Which has never helped me to eat squash mom–thanks though.

I honestly cannot think of a food she has tried that she didn’t eat and like.  Some first bites get a “What tha…” look but she promptly opens her mouth for more.

Foods Mary James eats:

FYI:  All of these “finger foods” are soft and diced into very small pieces.

Broccoli

Avocado (Guacamole)

Peas

Beans

Tomato

Carrots

Potato (Sweet and Idaho)

Squash

Zucchini

GREEN BEANS

Corn

Edamame

Cheese

Eggs (Evidently you’re not supposed to feed egg whites until 1 year of age due to possible Albumin allergies.)

Rice

Pasta

Wheat toast

Chicken

Turkey

BBQ

Roast

PEACHES

Strawberries

Cherries

Blueberries

Watermelon

Cantelope

Honey Dew

Lemon (Citrus fruits are also on the DO NOT FEED list…again oops!)

Mandarin oranges

Mmmm…Broccoli!

Maybe eating a bunch of different fruits and veggies while pregnant/breastfeeding has helped.  Who knows?

Want more Wordless Wednesdays?

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Come back tomorrow for Tell Me Thursday!

Admittedly, I was a total slacker on blog posts last week.  But I have a really good excuse – I promise!  I was in Hilton Head, SC with my in-laws.

It was a wonderful vacation and much needed break!

We stayed at Disney’s Hilton Head Resort.  It was a vacation full of “firsts.”  Mary James’ first time to South Carolina and the beach.  First bike ride (okay so she was in a pull along).  First hammock and swimming adventure.  You get the idea.

Here’s some pictures of our fun!

Recently a close friend lost his mother.

As a 28 year old, I know we are considered to be “adults.”  After living close to three decades of life on the Earth, we are able to live by ourselves, we can gather our own food, we are supposedly self sufficient.  Some of us our married. Some of us have children.  Many are professionals, most of us have “real” jobs versus working at the ice cream shop for the summer.  Often, we have moved away from our original “homes” (or we homebodies have moved back home).  We are strong.

We are grown.

However, when tragedy strikes, I’m shocked by how young, inadequate, and helpless I feel.

I have a doctorate but cannot find the right words.  They don’t exist.  Hugs must suffice.

Then it hits me…I’m a mommy, now.

I’m supposed to be able to “fix” things and make them all better.  As a child, I was comforted by the thought my parents knew everything, and thus could repair the world.  Now as a parent, it’s laughable to think of my daughter seeing me in the same way.

At times, I don’t feel much older than a high school student.  I honestly forget that I’m supposed to be a “Grown-Up.”  What a funny word (and it looks stupid written).  I remember my grandma telling me that there aren’t really any adults.  That all of the petty things that begin in elementary school continue.  Forever.  Obviously over very different things (no one has made fun of my dorky back pack and I don’t long for a pair of glasses with blue and pink tinting anymore).  But the basics are still there.  Jealousy, anger, mean people, rude people, weird people, the nose picker.

I just hope I can provide my daughter with the same love and seemingly all knowing, safe haven my parents gave me.  At least until she’s old enough to know better.

And for the right words?  Sometimes, I think unspoken love is best.

Mary James turned six months old this past Saturday.  Sniff, sniff…

Some days, I still can’t believe she’s here.  Other days, I can’t imagine our life before her.  What did we do?    I didn’t know I had a big, gaping void in my life until Mary James filled it.  My heart overflows with love for her.

Now that I know the awesome love of a mother for her child, it takes my breath away to ponder how much greater God’s love is for us.

So, to mark this momentous occasion, I created a little picture montage of some of our favorite moments with our “little chickadee.”

Enjoy!

Six Months of Bliss from Erin Murray on Vimeo.

After church this afternoon, we went to my husband’s parents’ house.  My six year old niece, who my daughter absolutely LOVES, comes over and starts singing to her:

“I like it.  I love it.  I want some more of it.  I try, so hard, I can’t rise above it.”

Me:  “I didn’t know you listened to country music?” (The lyrics are from the the country song “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw.)

Niece:  “I don’t.”

Me:  “How did you learn that song then?”

Niece:  My kindergarten teacher taught it to me!”

Me:  “Really?  Kindergarten sure has changed.”

Tomorrow I leave my baby girl for the first time since she’s been born.

As I write, tears fill my eyes and slowly roll down my cheeks.  I can feel the sobs building deep in my chest.

Yes, this is only a part-time job.  Yes, it’s only three days a week, seven hours each day.  But it is time away from my precious baby who is growing so fast.  So quickly, that often I feel desperate to capture every smile, every move, every sound on camera and video before she changes.

From talking to other moms (including my precious momma), I know the emotions are normal.  Normal maybe.  Enjoyable?  Definitely not.

Before Mary James was born, I was not the emotional type.  Sure I cried if I was angry or really upset, but my emotions never came falling in the form of tears.  My family is not a teary bunch.  My husband was the tearful one in our family.  Shocking really, he’s a big “tough”guy on the outside.  Huh…crunchy on the outside with a sweet, soft center.

Well, move over buddy.  Momma Murray is in the house.

At first, I attributed the crying to my hormones.  I’m sure they are still settling after the pregnancy, but this is different.  This is pure unadulterated love.

I know Mary James will be in a wonderful hands with a sweet couple from church.  Not to mention she will be with her cousins some days.  So, my tears are not from fear of harm.

My tears are from fear of what I will be missing.

Ben got to come home for lunch today!  This is a rare treat because his work is about 25 minutes from our house.

What?  Daddy’s coming home for lunch?

Yipee!  I love my daddy.

Kisses and my kissy face.

Dancing

Getting sleepy

Tuckered out after a great lunch.