Baby Food

Ingrid came to our house today so we went over to Grammy's house for the afternoon. She is in D.C. with Aunt Caroline for a work trip and Granddad was at work. We stopped at Fresh Market before heading over and picked up Apples, Avocado, Bananas and Sweet Potato so we could make a couple batches of baby food! We used the baby food maker that we got for Valentines Day and it worked great!! It steams and blends with one click! 

We made a TON! 

Your new schedule went great today. You ate sweet potato this morning without a problem. This afternoon you tried applesauce for the first time and really liked it!! Unfortunately daddy and I both ran out of battery in our phones so we didn't get a picture. :(  

You are getting so big!! I pulled out this activity thing at Grammys and you are supposed to lay on your back and look up at everything. Well as soon as I put you down you flipped over and got tangled up in it!! You used to just lay there and watch it for so long, I wasn't expecting you to do that!

It was such a pretty day out today. So much better than yesterday! So went for a long walk around grammy's neighborhood. You love going on walks and it's always so nice to get out of the house. 

We had a great day hanging out with daddy. His schedule is about to get pretty crazy so it was nice to have this time with him!

I love you so much baby girl. Thank you for being such an amazing little girl and filling my heart with so much love and joy! 

New Schedule

Yesterday we started a new schedule that I found online by Moms On Call. It's supposed to help with sleeping at night and with introducing solids while nursing.

There is also an app that goes with my phone which makes it pretty easy to check what we are supposed to be doing when. I chose to start with the 4-6 month schedule first.

I was nursing you every 3 hours, feeding you solids once a day (in the afternoon) and on a good night you wake up at around 1 and 4 to nurse. Recently you started getting fussy and distracted while nursing and waking up multiple times at night. You were also napping 3 times a day but for only 45 minutes and you would wake up multiple times during those 45 minutes. I thought maybe you were ready to go a little longer between feedings and up your solid food to twice a day. The schedule above is a transition into 4 hours between feedings. I pretty much followed the schedule to a T yesterday except I only fed you solid food twice a day. I wanted to ease into the three times a day deal. 

It was a LONG day! I think just because it was new and we already a schedule that you were really used to. The pros of yesterday were that you didn't seem as distracted at feedings and nursed for longer. You took a good hour and a half nap and then a little over 2 hour nap, with a little 30 minute catnap closer to bedtime. The cons were the solid food feedings. You were not interested at all. I think you were too tired during both feedings. They weren't close to you waking up from a nap so you just weren't that happy. We went for a nice walk to nanas and I think that was good for you to get out for a little bit!

Also, bedtime was HORRIBLE! I put you down asleep but after about 15 minutes you were wide awake. I watched you on the monitor roll around and play for probably 15 minutes before you started crying. I put your Paci in, left and started my timer for 5 minutes. You cried the whole time. It was awful. After 5 minutes I put your Paci back in and you fell asleep until 11:45. After that you were up about every hour until 3. Then you woke up at 6:30 and I somehow manged to get you back to sleep and sleep until 8. 

Which through our schedule today slightly off. 

It was rainy and nasty today so we didn't really get out of the house. I think it made you a little crazy. You still slept good a nap time but other than that it wasn't a great day of the new schedule. You hated your solid food both times and were just in a weird mood all day. 

(We were trying on your new baseball

Hat!!)

Tomorrow I'm going to switch to the 6 month schedule because it's easier for me to remember and I understand it better. I think the other one was too much of 3 hours between feeding, then 3.5, then 4.5. It wasn't very consistent and you are used to a consistent schedule. 

This is what we are going with tomorrow. And it's going to be nice out, so we are taking a LONG walk! I hate you being confused starting something new. I hope we both get the hang of it soon!!! I love you baby girl!!!

Books, Bedtime and Barbie

Yesterday we picked you up from Grammy and Granddads as soon as we woke up! (Which may have been a little late....) I couldn't wait to hold you! You were all smiles which made us feel soo good!! I know you had so much fun. We had lunch with them and then went home and relaxed!! You took a nice long nap with daddy. Which, of course, you both loved!! 

Later in the afternoon, we went over to Grandma Carolyn's. Like I mentioned earlier, she is moving to a smaller house and leaving the house she has lived in since your nana was little. 

Grandma Carolyn has a huge wall of old books. I'm talking OLD! There is one from August 18, 1888. Which is my birthday a hundred years before I was born!!! She wanted everyone to look through them and take what they want. So we went over to help Nana look through some of them. It was so neat to see our family members signatures in the front with their address, old golf score cards from Conway used as bookmarks, and old school books where Nana's mom wrote, "BORING"!! Daddy got a lot of history books so he was very happy! 

We are going to walk through and take pictures in every room before she moves.

After a quick trip to Nanas, we came home and got ready for bed. Daddy gave you a bath, fed you a bottle and put you to bed. I know he loves rocking you to sleep. You did really good until about 10:30. I don't know what happened but you would not stop crying! It was so sad. We finally got you calmed down after about an hour. I'm so glad daddy was here last night. I'm not sure if u would have been able to handle it!!

We all spent the morning together. Daddy napped with you for your first nap and I took the second. He cleaned the rugs while we napped. They needed it soo bad!! But of course, I couldn't keep you asleep so he ended up taking over!

He needed to go back to sleep this afternoon because he has to work tonight. So we went over nana and grand buddy's house. Barbie dropped by and was so excited to see you! You had a fun afternoon and we have made it passed 10:30 without you waking up!! 

Tomorrow we are staring a new schedule that will hopefully help you sleep better at night. It's kind of intense so it may be a little crazy the first couple of days. I hope it goes well! 

Weekend Already???

I can't believe today is already Saturday!! We haven't done much this week. 

Just a lot of staying home and snuggling!! 

On Saturday we took a walk with aunt sis around Market Common. You had a hard time falling a sleep for a nap at home so the plan was for you to fall asleep on the walk. The plan failed horribly!  You were wide awake looking at everything! I started feeling bad about leaving the house and not trying harder to get you to nap at home but aunt sis said you needed the walk and I think she was right. It was beautiful outside and you needed some fresh air!

Thursday morning you spent a little time at Grammys and then we spent the rest of the day at home!

Friday was pretty nasty out in the morning so we waited until the afternoon when it got a little better and went on a walk around the neighborhood.

Tonight we had a wedding for some of our best college friends, Carson and Allston. Allston was in your dad's fraternity and Carson and I became close. They were even in our wedding! We had such a fun time at Allstons plantation celebrating such a sweet couple. We saw a lot of our college friends and of course they asked about you!! Everyone thinks you are so cute and can't believe how big you are getting!! It was such a pretty wedding and fun night. You are staying the night at  Grammy and Grandads. We called them on our way home and they said you are fast asleep! We are going home to sleep too so we can wake up and see you!!

Here are some pictures from this morning! You are just so cute!!

Birthdays and Bananas

We have had a nice relaxing last couple of days with dad.  He has had the last two days (mostly) off and we have just been hanging out!!

You have taken every nap the last two days with your daddy. He knows just how to get you to sleep and sleep for a long time!! You have both really enjoyed it I think!

He also played some guitar yesterday and you loved it. You wouldn't stop staring at him! 

We also celebrated your Grandads birthday yesterday. His birthday was February 10th but your Grammy has been sick and was finally feeling better. We had a yummy dinner and of course birthday cake!

You tried bananas for the first time today. We mashed one up and mixed it with some milk. We thought you were going to really like them since they are so sweet but I really think you liked sweet potatoes and avocado more!! Bananas are wayy more messy than what you have had before! We had to change your clothes and you even got the banana in your hair! You decided you were tired half way through and rubbed your eye with your messy banana hand!!

After your dad went to a quick meeting, we ended the day with a nice walk!! 

Now you are sleeping soundly and we are watching our favorite Winter Olympic sport, Snowboard Cross!!

What a fun couple of days! Love you sweet girl! 

Never Grow Up

Your dad and I listened to Never Grow Up by Taylor Swift today and it had such a new, special meaning since you came along. Of course I want you to grow up and experience all life has to offer, but it would be so nice if we could just pause time for a little bit and really cherish how you are at this very moment. I feel like every time you wake up something has changed. You are growing up so fast and learning so many new things. I just want to press pause for a little bit. 

Never Grow Up

"Your little hands wrapped around my finger

And it's so quiet in the world tonight

Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming

So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funny

You got nothing to regret

I'd give all I have, honey

If you could stay like that

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

Just stay this little

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

It could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you

Won't let no one break your heart

No, no one will desert you

Just try to never grow up, never grow up

You're in the car on the way to the movies

And you're mortified your mom's dropping you off

At 14, there's just so much you can't do

And you can't wait to move out someday and call your own shots

But don't make her drop you off around the block

Remember that she's getting older, too

And don't lose the way that you dance around

In your PJs getting ready for school

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

Just stay this little

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

It could stay this simple

No one's ever burned you

Nothing's ever left you scarred

And even though you want to

Just try to never grow up

Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room

Memorize what it sounded like when your dad gets home

Remember the footsteps, remember the words said

And all your little brother's favorite songs

I just realized everything I have

Is someday gonna be gone

So here I am in my new apartment

In a big city, they just dropped me off

It's so much colder than I thought it would be

So I tuck myself in and turn my night light on

Wish I'd never grown up

I wish I'd never grown up

Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up

Could still be little

Oh, I don't wanna grow up, wish I'd never grown up

It could still be simple

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

Just stay this little

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up

It could stay this simple

Won't let nobody hurt you

Won't let no one break your heart

And even though you want to

Please try to never grow up

Don't you ever grow up

(Never grow up)

Just never grow up"

Picture Overload

We haven't done much these last couple of days but I sure do have a ton pics!!

Starting with my fav... "These are MY sweet potatoes....."

Bathtime! The cutest baby in the world with a whale on her head...no big deal.

February 16th

Someone found mommys silkie all on her own!

It was so nice of our President and First Lady to send us a note welcoming you to the world!! ;) 

We spent a lot of time with Aunt Sis these last two days. She took most of the cute pics! You also went over to Grammy and Granddads house to play. We have had two super relaxing days and it looks like the rest of the week will be the exact same! Love you sweet girl! 

FYI for when you have a sweet baby of your own.. Make sure you have MULTIPLE replacement pieces for your pump. Just in case your puppy chews up a part and no where in the city has the replacement piece and you have to order it on amazon and in the mean time you have to use a manual hand pump, which is the worst invention on the planet.