I have to laugh and roll my eyes when I hear talk of a new study that just came out! "Studies show that in a group of 10 people we monitored at a university in New Mexico...." or when I read or hear certain tips on parenting...I laugh mainly because most likely a day or two from now they will discover something new about the same study that will totally refute what was just said!
Some of my favorites are diet tips for moms or people in general. These clearly were not written by a person with children:
#1.
Eat and chew your food slowly, savor it! -
Mmm K I don't know about you other parents out there but I really cannot remember a time since Hannah has been born other than a few functions here or there where I haven't had to gulp down my food because Adam and I were tag teaming our meals or so we could get everything done in time or so the other person could eat or something along those lines! You don't have TIME to savor your meal! At this point in the game we can't even go to the bathroom in private what makes people think a whole meal with a child present is going to happen much less the savoring of it!
#2.
Don't eat standing up or on the run! You'll tend to eat more that way! - Ok again this goes back to the not having time to really sit down but especially now that Hannah is mobile and observant as all get out I cannot eat sitting down unless she's being distracted by another person or something else. Because whatever I am eating or drinking she is suddenly interested in and entitled to! The other day I was eating cheerios - and it would figure the one time she managed to actually get
a hold of a tiny object was at this moment - but she plunged her whole fist into my cereal bowl and brought out a handful and proceeded to eat every single one! The only thing I have on her right now is height! :)
What makes me laugh most of all about all these studies and tips and so on is that many make it sound like this is IT! This is FACT and now that we have this information we should do it this way. Every person, every family every mother every father has to do what works for them. Because what works for one family and one child will inevitably not work for the next one. And it seems to me we could be devoting our time to better uses and causes than whether or not coffee will stunt you and cause a heart attack one day or prolong your life and give you lustrous chest hair the next...
Time really does fly when you're having fun! I cannot even BELIEVE that Hannah is going to be 10 mos. old next Sunday, a week from today! Craziness! It has already almost been a year! She is definitely exerting her independence in MANY ways as well as her likes and dislikes! She rarely eats baby food being fed to her anymore and really prefers anything she can eat or put in her mouth herself. She still LOVES yogurt but that's about all she'll let you give her! She eats all kinds of cereals and crackers and bread and cheese so it's been fun to get creative with food that I make her so she can feed herself. 
She is a total monkey and will do anything for a laugh! She's workin on blowing kisses and loves to walk up to you and give you a *MMMuah* (a sound we make when kissing!!) on any part of you that's hanging out! Usually your arm, leg or shoulder! She really does great at playing on her own and finding things to do! She loves helping with laundry - even if it's undoing the neatly folded piles I've just created! She is trying to repeat what you say to her and is CONSTANTLY chatting! She can say: mama, dada, doggy, kitty (kind of) something that sounds kind of like Barry and other words she adds almost daily. Somehow mama and hungry have come to mean the same thing...oh and we DEFINITELY know the word ba-ba!! (bottle)
This girl has got her little schedule down PAT! She knows when it's time for naps, bathtime and bedtime and lunch and dinner! However...she still doesn't make it thru the night and lately has been waking up quite a bit...so the coffee maker is definitely paying for itself over and over again! I am looking forward to this fall and finding new things to do with her! She is one ACTIVE little girl for sure so it will be fun to try and find new things to keep her busy. Plus it gets me in motion which is a bonus! She really is just a sweetheart of a girl! She's not walking yet but she stands on her own VERY well...and then forgets she can't walk and goes to take a step and that ends that! We sure do love her and how fun she is! Even in the midst of sleepless nights and stumbling downstairs to see what's going on...she ALWAYS greets you with happiness and excitement! She loves being out with you or hanging out with people. She really is a total blessing and a joy to have around! We love her beyond words! 
