Cuteness

It seems slightly odd to post pictures of Miss Elliott in her winter hat when it's 70 degrees outside today (aka HEAVEN), but these were too cute to resist. This was my attempt at a photo shoot. Not as good as Daddy, but we're getting there.

"Not sure what to think about this Mom."

"I'm trying to tell you something but it is really difficult when my finger is in my mouth."

"What?"

"Mom, I'm so embarrassed you posted this picture because you can see my drool marks."

Not a great picture but sometimes it's difficult to capture a smile.

My favorite!

And not to be excluded, the Monster, soaking up some rays...and watching for people/things to bark at.

Baby food update

Wow! I'm so thankful for all of your helpful comments about baby food. It is so helpful to hear other's experiences, perspectives, etc...plus, who doesn't love getting comments! Affirmation that someone actually reads my ramblings.

We made it through the trial of rice cereal and she had no reactions as far as I could tell. She wasn't totally convinced it was great, but she tolerated it. For the second food, we tried avocado. Major FAIL. She basically acted like it was the most disgusting food she had ever tried and spit it out almost every time. We were really sad about this because we are both major avocado lovers. Don't worry. I'm not giving up on avocado yet and I plan to go back to it soon. I tried mixing it with water and breast milk, didn't seem to make a difference.

Random side note. I mixed it yesterday with some breast milk I had in the fridge, and decided to taste it before I gave her a bite. It was DISGUSTING...almost made me gag. I tried a bite of the avocado and it tasted okay, then I smelled the milk and it just smelled bad. What the heck? It had only been in the fridge for about 5 days and I thought it would stay good for 8. Needless to say, I disposed of the milk and remade it with water. Anybody else had any experience with milk going bad quickly? All I can say is I'm glad I tried it before I gave it to her!

I'm still up in the air on what to give her next. I made some butternut squash last weekend so I'm contemplating giving her that. It was SO easy to make and it was delicious even without seasoning!! I thought, even if she doesn't like this, we can eat it!! Yummy! I also made apple sauce and I have organic pears that I was letting soften a little longer that I plan on making tomorrow. So much fun!

The squash was a beautiful orange color and super smooth. This picture doesn't do it justice.

The finished product after being frozen in ice cube trays.

Kev also got a chance to feed her over the weekend. He did an awesome job. You can see the ever present Truman in the background...always hoping he might get a bite.

"What the heck are you guys feeding me?"

I read somewhere that you don't want to push the baby into eating too much because it can override their satiety signals (that's why you're supposed to wait to start foods until they can show you that they don't want anymore). Sometimes this is hard to tell because she doesn't really act like she loves eating anything, so how can I tell if she's full or just hasn't tried it enough? Basically we've been getting maybe 2 or 3 bites in where she'll open her mouth then we're done. Any thoughts on this?

She also has been really loving grabbing our cups lately so I'll usually drink all the water and then let her "drink" a little drop. She seems to like this but we haven't started on her sippy cup yet. Any thoughts on the normal sippy cup vs the one with the straw? So many silly questions circulate my mind CONSTANTLY! It's amazing the things that now are so consuming. And you don't have to tell me...I know I majorly over-think things! Guess that's just me.

First solids

So we took the plunge...probably not much of a plunge for the majority out there...and we gave Miss Elliott her first taste of rice cereal last night. I debated back and forth whether or not to mix it with breast milk or water (pediatrician recommended water because they don't get much in at first so she said don't "waste" your milk), and I ended up deciding breast milk because it made the cereal sound slightly more appetizing (at least when I was trying to imagine what she might think).

She actually did really well and I think actually consumed a small amount, but she wasn't totally convinced. Truman on the other hand, was totally sold by my "mmm" noises and airplane food moves and was begging for me to give him a taste. He kept resting his head on my arm and desperately trying to get his snout close enough to get a bite. It was quite a fiasco as I'm sure you can imagine. Now if only she would act that excited we'd be in business. Her favorite part of the whole feeding was her new bib, which she was completely enthralled by. Oh the simple pleasures in life. I guess we'll see how it goes tonight.

For some reason, I have had a really hard time introducing solids to her. I think part of my hesitation was it seems to make our life a little more complicated. I mean, let's face it, once they get the hang of it, breast feeding is SO easy. Yeah, I don't love pumping. Yeah, your body is not your own for a while, but I don't have to make a bottle, heat a bottle, I can take it anywhere I go...you get the picture. In my opinion, pretty easy. So add food to the mix, I have to breast feed her, then give her solids, then try to have dinner for us as well. Call me lazy, it just seems a little more complicated. I also really want to try making her food, so that has added a whole new element. I don't think it will be difficult (at least that's what my friends say), I know it will just take a little planning.

So as of today, I have a food processor, a covered ice tray for freezing/storing, Cooking for Baby by Lisa Barnes, and this helpful website www.wholesomebabyfood.com. I still need to buy the fruit/veggies to start and I guess I will be ready. I was thinking about trying avocado next.

So here's my questions for you moms out there. Did you wait to freeze food until your baby had tried it and not had a reaction? Or did you take a weekend to make several foods, freeze them, then just get rid of them if they had any reaction? Also, do you mix your foods with water or breast milk/formula? What were some of your first foods to try? My book recommends avocado, bananas, peas, squash/pumpkin, zucchini, sweet potato, apples, pears. Let me know your thoughts.

Here are a few pictures of Elliott's first eating experience.

"I'm ready mom!"

Obviously if I open my mouth really big she'll do the same thing...or not.

"Hmmm...not sure what I think about that."

Such a big girl in her high chair!

First haircut

She was such a good girl for her first hair cut and she sat fairly still. It's so nice her bangs are no longer in her eyes! I'm so glad Mimi was here to do it...I'm sure she would have ended up with crazy, uneven bangs if I did it.

5 Months

How is it possible that our baby girl is 5 month (actually one week over 5 months...am I behind or what)? I guess I'm probably going to say this every month, but every month I'm completely amazed at how quickly time goes. Here are some stats for our little cutie.

• Wearing mainly 6-9 month clothes. Sometimes I still squeeze her into 3-6 months clothes, but they don't seem very comfortable. I'm ready for us to stay in the same stage of clothing for over a month. I feel like she hardly wears things before she grows out of them.
• Wearing size 3 diapers, but as I said in a previous post, this has not helped our blowout diaper "issue."
• Still eating 5 times a day. She eats 6 ounces when we give her a bottle.
• She still takes a nap in between every feeding, but she has been going through a stage where she wants to wake up early from her nap so she's still grumpy. Grumpy girl=not as fun girl. Hopefully we move on from this stage quickly.
• Her last feeding is at 8:30 and she usually sleeps until 6:30 or 7, and on occasion, 7:30.
• We moved from swaddling and she is now sleeping on her tummy (gasp) in the sleep sack. She seems to be sleeping great!

"Flying" with dad

• She stays awake about 1 and 1/2 hours between feedings. I always think she'll be able to go longer, but lo and behold, after that time has passed, she gets really cranky and loves to go to sleep. She's definitely a sleeper!
• She is actually liking her car seat (ANY trip we ever made before she would cry), and LOVES her giraffe from Grandma that's big enough for her to reach.
• She still loves her activity gym and her new and improved bouncer (thanks to Mimi hanging fun rings on it), and her new play toy is her jumper. She's not totally sold on this one yet but we just started using it.
• She loves to sit up and she can pretty much sit *almost* unassisted. She still topples over if she looks too much to the side.
• She is loving her toys (especially the ball Jill, BJ and Olivia gave her...thanks guys) and loves to grab things now, although she still moves at a super slow speed. I can still thwart her every move but I know there will come a day when her hand speed will pick up and I'll really have to watch out.

She loves to grab our faces which is SO sweet...even though it can really hurt. I've got claw marks to prove it.

She also has been giving open mouth "kisses" (at least that's what I call them). I'm not sure if she's actually giving kisses or just sucking my face, but it's still so sweet.

• She's rolled over several more times, but it is definitely still not something she does often. She can push herself all the way up on her hands (so she looks like a seal), but just won't tuck and roll.
• She loves to suck/bite her hands, our hands, toys, burp rags...basically everything in her path. Maybe teething?
• Still loves to read and she (and I) are really enjoying her new books she got for Christmas. However, she has lost the attention span to read long books so short and rhyming it is.
• She got her first hair cut this month from Mimi. Nothing drastic but her bangs were in her eyes and she was definitely working on a mullet. Not a good look even for a baby.
• She still has never: eaten solid foods or been left in the nursery. I know, I'm that mom. We're working on doing both. :)
• She loves singing and talking.
• She has started smiling *slightly* more at strangers, but don't hold your breath expecting one. She loves watching little kids and really intently watches new people, but she doesn't want to smile at them. Our little thinker.
• She loves looking at "the baby in the mirror." She's shocked by how cute she is. :)

There is so much more I could share (and I'm sure as soon as I hit publish I'll think of more I had intended to say), but pretty much she is the best, most fun, cutest baby EVER (in our opinion), and we are loving EVERY day we have with her!!

Just playing with dad!

LOVE LOVE this picture!! My two favorite people!

7 years ago...

Well, for those of you who were wondering, I had a fabulous birthday! 29 never looked so good. I started the day with a strenuous class of pilates (love it), then had some girl time with my mom shopping and eating lunch, a fun dinner with my sweet husband, then we finished the night with warm, gooey brownies, homemade ice cream, and a movie at home (that's right...in my comfy sweatpants...best outfit EVER). Who could ask for a better day?

Funny story...my mom asked what would make my day special. She mentioned a mani/pedi, shopping, etc. I told her I do always love a pedicure, but I never really see my toes in the cold weather, and what would really bless me is to do several returns. Have I officially joined the world of motherhood or what?! Let me explain. It's really hard to do returns with Miss Elliott because NOTHING is quick with a child. We can usually make it to one maybe two stops before she needs a nap, and I'm so worn out by the end of it, I need a nap too. I had stuff from Christmas I wanted to return/exchange, and it has been sitting on my end table driving me crazy. So you'll be happy to know, that was part of our "shopping" and I got ALL my returns done. Hallelujah!

Tomorrow, we're celebrating another big event...7 years of marriage! Wow, that's a long time (at least I think it is). It has hands down been the best 7 years of my life. Yes, it hasn't always been easy, and we have had our times of laughter and tears, but I truly would not change one minute, because each minute has helped make me who I am today.

Picture taken 1 month before our wedding. Do we look young or what?

Kev, I truly cannot imagine my life without you! You encourage me daily to be a better person and to seek the Lord more fully by your example. You laugh at my jokes...even though they're really not that funny, and you make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world (even when none of my pre-pregnancy jeans fit). You've held me tight when I've cried tears of discouragement and you've laughed with me more times than I can count. I admire your courage, your boldness, your desire to do what's right even when it's inconvenient. It blesses my heart to see your love for our daughter, and I can say without hesitation you're the BEST dad EVER! I am so thankful for the past seven years we have had together and I can't wait to see what the future holds in the years ahead!

First of all, thank you all for such helpful comments! It is so great to hear others' experiences and also realize my child is not abnormal. On the blowout situation, I am hoping it improves once we start her on cereal (which has been hard for me to want to start for some reason). I checked her diapers and they are supposed to be for weights up to 24 pounds (she's a little over 17 pounds), so we seem good there, and I would like to try a different brand...but of course we just got our box in the mail from Amazon. I guess I'll work my way through these first and then go from there. Here's a couple of pics of our sweet girl from Wednesday. Not great quality because I took them with my iPhone.

I love my new outfit! I don't even want to look up because I'm so fascinated by the lace!

Cute face!

On a non-baby note (yes, I realize she seems to consume my blog these days), Kev has made this week so special for me and I thought I would share. My birthday is Saturday (hard to believe), so starting Monday, he has called it my "birthday week." Drawn out surprises? Yes please. So Monday he surprised me at the office with a two pump, extra hot Carmel Macchiato. Mmmm...so delicious. I got off early on Tuesday so he took a half day so we could just hang out. I am a quality time girl, so this definitely blessed me. Wednesday, he took me out for breakfast to one of our favorite places...the Diner. Gotta love the fish pictures on the wall and the food is delicious! Thursday, I was greeted with this on our blackboard:

So throughout the day I found a Starbucks gift card in my car, M&Ms in my milk storage bags, Orbitz gum in my lab coat, an Orange Leaf gift card in my pump bag, Jason's Deli gift card in the microwave, and a Target gift card attached to the chocolate syrup (yes, I drink chocolate milk almost nightly...one of my favorite treats). Does this guy know me or what? I felt so incredibly blessed that he went to so much effort to make my week special! I look forward to what the next couple of days hold. I think we are going on a date on Saturday (my mom will be in town), and I'm thinking sushi might hit my spot. Good sushi's hard to beat!!

Elliott's 5 month post is coming soon!

Ramblings

I have a few random ramblings tonight...I promise to post something better later.

"Is this normal?" This is something I hear from Kev frequently...in reference to our little girl's explosive bowels. That's right...we still battle blowout diapers, like 3 out of every 4 poopy diapers. We have tried every brand of diapers we can think of and finally settled on 7th Generation because they seemed to work semi-okay. She's wearing size 3s which should fit (she's still in the weight range). We change her diapers frequently, but all of our efforts are to no avail.

For those who do not have kids, blowout diapers are really a pain, as I'm sure you can imagine. Of course they most frequently at the most inopportune time, like as we're walking out the door. Last Saturday, she had a huge blowout in her car seat on the way back from Ft. Worth (Kev's sister's wedding). It was a pretty fun task to change her diaper in the back seat when poop is everywhere. Then on Sunday, she had a blowout diaper while we were shopping (got all over Kev's shirt).

I have two saving graces. First, even when there is poop everywhere, seeing her smile at me with her cute face makes it all okay. Second, Kev has officially become our poop stain expert, and I'm very thankful he takes the time to scrub her clothes and immediately throw them in the laundry. So for all you moms out there, any suggestions? I feel like if it just happened occasionally I wouldn't mind, but it feels like it happens constantly.

My other rambling thought I have is I realized this past weekend I have a love/hate relationship for Miss Elliott's schedule. Yes, I love the fact that she goes to sleep promptly when we lay her down for her naps and she sleeps great at night, but I hate the fact that she will rarely sleep anywhere other than her crib (like even in our arms). This is especially inconvenient when we're out of pocket (like at the wedding this past weekend). Kev officiated (he did an awesome job) and I was a bridesmaid. His aunts graciously agreed to hold her during the ceremony then she cried off and on throughout the whole thing. Lovely. The wedding felt like an eternity. Poor girl was tired, but of course was desperately fighting sleep since she wasn't in a quite, dark place. I'm not sure what to do to remedy this at this point in her life. Thoughts?