This Unfamiliar Road

Our little lady is quickly leaving the baby stage and has become a full blown toddler. She's 18 months y'all...going on 18 years!

Eating: That fun picky toddler eater has invaded my home. Bean is opinionated about her food choices, but at least she can let me know what she likes and doesn't like (or thoroughly enjoyed the day before and has become poison today!). Her favorites are yogurt, cheese, crackers, fruit, eggs, and mac n cheese of course. Veggies are hard! We weaned shortly after her first birthday and she truly did not have trouble at all!

Sleeping: My girl sleeps from about 7pm-7am. On a good day, she takes one 2.5 hour nap. She loves her Mickey Mouse, Seahorse, and 2 sassies (pacifiers) to go to sleep!


Skills: Eliza started walking between 13-14 months and hasn't looked back! She tries hard to keep up with big sister, and truly thinks she's a big kid, too. We can understand most of her words, and her vocabulary grows every day. She can easily follow directions, and enjoys helping out (for now!).

Teeth: A total of 12, with 4 more poking through. It must be hard to be a baby...whew!


Happy Times: Our boo loves going outside, coloring, washing hands, and watching Mickey Mouse. In general, she's still a pretty easygoing kiddo. Eliza is a climber, and really just enjoys doing anything that Peyton is doing.

 Unhappy Times: The 18 month old tantrums have taken over. Eliza has dealt with quite a few ear infections lately, and it seems that there are days she's just moody and irritable. Just a phase....


Stats: 22 lbs, wearing 18-24 month clothing


Oh Eliza Cate,
 You keep us on our toes these days, for sure! As Peyton so nicely puts it, you are "nothing but trouble." Even though you are in to EVERYTHING, I know it's just your way of exploring your world and testing those boundaries. I love watching you learn new things every day. Keep loving life sweet girl!

For the second Easter in a row, I was scheduled to work the weekend. For night shift, that means Friday and Saturday night. Technically I had Easter Sunday off, but I knew I would not be feeling very social.

On Saturday morning, Ben and the kids went to his Mom's house for the day to celebrate and let Mommy sleep in a quiet house. Eliza enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt...taught by the pro, of course!



On Saturday night, I got the best surprise...cancelled from work for the night! I enjoyed the evening with my kiddos...and then promptly fell asleep on the couch.
On Easter morning, we woke up to fun-filled baskets and some more family QT.


 So there we were on Easter morning with no reservations, nothing to cook for breakfast, and rain in the forecast. What did we do? We went to Waffle House of course :)


After breakfast, we got home for a quick Easter egg hunt before the rain came. It was a little cold, so I let Peyton pick out an outfit for hunting...








No cute monogrammed outfits, church, or fancy breakfast this year. Time with my family. It's all I needed.

This month, our fitness goal is all about the zzzzzzz's!

As a whole, our country really underestimates the importance of sleep. We put so much emphasis on filling our schedule that we forget to sleep!

Here are some guidelines to making it a priority:

How Much? The average adult needs 7.5-9 hours of sleep per night! Researchers have discovered that only 3% of the population carry a gene that enables them to function well on 6 hours a night.

How it Affects You: It's not just daytime drowsiness that you have to deal with. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause generalized fatigue, moodiness, and inability to cope with stress. It can also have a negative effect on your immune system and has a direct link to overeating and weight gain.

How To: 
-Establish a consistent bedtime routine and stick to it, even on the weekends
-Avoid screen time right before bed, which can cause over stimulation
-Consider sleep environment, like a dark cool room with the TV off
-Avoid caffeine or sugar right before bed.

Please visit these articles to learn more about sleep deprivation and how to sleep better!

Because I work night shift, I really have to focus on getting good sleep when I can. I have become fascinated with sleep cycles and rhythms.
We sleep in 1.5 hour cycles, and waking in the middle of a sleep cycle can make it difficult to become fully alert.

I use THIS bedtime calculator to determine when I should go to bed to ensure enough sleep that aligns with my sleep cycle.

Check out January and February fitness goals, too!

Happy Snoozing