To the Attic

After we returned from our two week stay with family in Oklahoma City I got the organization bug. As I was unpacking Molly's bag full of clothes and starting to put it away I realized how many things no longer fit her. So that spawned a cleaning out of the closet and drawers.

I can't believe she is already old enough that I am packing away clothes. It seems like just yesterday I was putting her in the "going home" outfit at the hospital. Time is really flying and I definitely got a little emotional as I was pulling things off the little baby hangers and tossing them into a pile on the floor.



We also packed away a few other things that she no longer uses. Her swing is now boxed up and stored away along with her Magic Sleep Suit (yep! she is no longer swaddled or suited up to sleep!) and her stroller/car seat newborn pad. Such a big girl.



So off to the attic the full box of stuff went. Until the next child...

which is not anytime soon!

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Funday

We had a very full weekend and crammed in a lot of fun activities. Chase has been away from us for over a week and we were reunited on Saturday afternoon. Molly was so happy to see her daddy.

The weather has been absolutely perfect so on Sunday, which happened to be Earth Day, we planned a little trip to the new city park in downtown Oklahoma City.











The park is amazing and I am so proud of my hometown for creating a place like this in the heart of the city. I can't wait to take Molly back when she is older and can run around and play.

Come Sunday evening I was exhausted but it was completely worth it.

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Daddy Daughter Friday: Newborn

For this edition of Daddy Daughter Friday I thought I would share one of the amazing photos from our newborn session. This one just gets me everytime. And knowing that he was getting peed on makes it even better.





Happy Friday!

Attempting Solids

Solids...what a new and exciting adventure! Or so we thought. In reality it has turned out to be stressful and overwhelming. So much to learn and do and the pressure to do it right.

Our pediatrician gave us the go ahead to start Molly on solids at around 5 months. I have been a little anxious to start her because the prescription formula she drinks is not at all filling so she pretty much eats constantly. And by constantly I mean every 2 hours totaling up to 42oz a day! No, that was not a typo. This kid likes to eat.

After quite a bit of research and reading I think we are going to combine purees and the baby led weaning approach. And based on my husbands insight and knowledge as a chiropractic student we are skipping rice cereal and going straight to veggies.

To make sure our lil one is getting exactly what she needs (and only that) it is my plan to make as much of her food as possible. So for our first attempt I pureed yellow squash. It was surprisingly easy and took no time at all. I can definitely see that I will only need to dedicate about an hour on sundays to make and freeze her food for the week.

At 1 week away from 5 months we decided to give it a shot. She had been showing all the signs to look for: watches us eat and mimics chewing, is unsatisfied with her feedings, can sit supported, etc. The food was made and ready and it was time to give solids a first attempt.

And this is how it went...









And it ended with spitting up everything. Not exactly the fun first experience at solids that I was imagining. We took it as a sign that she isn't quite ready. Our plan is to try again closer to 6 months. She continues to keep showing all the signs (even pulling my taco basket on my lap at lunch the other day!) so we are confident that in a few more weeks she will be ready to go.

In the interim I am continuing to research and read about what others are doing to become as educated and equipped as possible.

And yes, we fed her in her bouncy chair on the kitchen floor. I am having serious problems deciding on a high chair.

Solids part 2 in a few weeks, stay tuned.

RedBud Classic Recap

My plan for the past 4 weeks has been to train, running at least 3 times a week. Did that happen? Not quite. I actually only ran twice. Yep, 2 times since I was about 6 months pregnant. So when I woke up Sunday morning I was a little nervous about the 5k I was set to run.

I had decided my goal was to finish in under 35 minutes...not a quality time by any means but I haven't been running and I thought I would definitely have to walk on occasion. So that was my goal.



My brother was also running so we headed to the race together and lined up in the middle back of the pack.

I stretched, warmed up and was as ready as I was going to be. And the start gun went off.

After the first 1k I felt great and after the first 2 miles I felt great. In fact I was completely surprised by how my body was responding. My new goal mid race - no walking.


By no means was I running at a great pace and with a little training I could have actually done pretty well but I was enjoying the run and getting a little bit of satisfaction by passing people (I expected to be the one getting passed all race).

I picked up my pace the last 1k and fought my way up the hill and against the wind to the finish line. And this year I had a new fan waiting for me at the finish. It was so much fun to see Molly's little face watching her mama come across that finish line. An entirely new level of satisfaction.



So all in all I am pretty pleased with myself and am very impressed with how my body responded. Maybe its just that much stronger after having a baby and being a mom for the past 5 months. Looking forward to the next 5k and doing a little training.

Official Results:
32:33 - 6:31 pace

Daddy Daughter Friday: brunch

What better toy than Daddy's tie?

Molly: 5 Months

Is my little baby really 5 months old. Hard to believe. Time is moving so fast. And so many new things are happening. Our baby girl is learning and experiencing so much and watching her get a feel for the world around her is such a joy.

The first 3 months was rough. Really rough. Molly had colic (which I will dedicate a post to eventually) and cried a lot. Then we had a breakthrough when we switched her formula and slowly but surely she has become the happiest baby. It has made our lives so much more enjoyable. And boy do I feel for any parents that have a colicky baby. Its tough.

But here we are at 5 months old. I honestly never thought we'd get here. But we did and its wonderful.

Teething is still happening but no sign of an actual tooth yet. Her gums are super white and she is chomping down on everything so hopefully one will pop through soon. She is getting SO close to crawling. She practices every chance she gets and we have the camera ready to capture the first real crawl. The legs are moving, its just the arms she is still trying to figure out.

We also attempted solids this past month. It was an interesting experience and we learned we need to wait a lil longer. It was fun to watch the faces she would make but we could tell she isn't quite ready. She was not a fan of my homemade squash puree. I will be making most of her food though and I am excited to make all sorts of fun stuff.

She has definitely found her voice and squeals, laughs and gurgles all the time. And she has two different smiles - one sly crooked smile like her daddy's and then another all out super grin. So cute.

I am so lucky to have such a great baby and am really enjoying being her Mom. Looking forward to what this month will bring.

Stats:

12 lbs 10oz  (at home weigh in)

No length or head because we don't have a dr visit this month.

She is still pretty petite but really starting to put on some weight quickly! Has finally grown out of all her newborn clothes and some of the 0-3 months stuff. She mainly wears the plain old 3 months outfits. 

Likes:

Practicing crawling

Playing with the remote

Being outside

Watching people eat

Dislikes:

Not being able to figure out crawling

Being in the carseat in restaurants

An Easter Weekend Recap

We had a lot of activity this past Easter weekend so I thought I would do a full on weekend recap post to share.

Chase's Mom was in town for the holiday weekend so we made it a point to do some fun things around town. The first being a trip to Ikea on Saturday. We went for a few small items (new pots, look at baby stuff, etc.) and ended up buying a new chair and a new TV console. Impulse buying much? But we are happy with our purchases so no buyers remorse...yet.

Molly was a real trooper and sat in her first high chair in the Ikea cafeteria. The food is surprisingly good.




Later on that evening we went to a fun area of Dallas called Bishop Arts District and tried out a new restaurant. We sat on the patio to enjoy the beautiful weather and Molly had a good time watching us eat. Chase, his mom and myself also decided to do tequila shots! We were feeling adventurous.

On Sunday morning we got up, got dressed and ready and headed to church to worship for Easter. It was a great service and started the day off perfect. Molly went to the nursery for the second time and did great...we didn't get paged!



After church we headed out for brunch at one of my favorite local spots, Breadwinners Cafe. The food was delicious and we again sat outside to soak up the sun and nice breeze.



We spent the rest of the afternoon putting together furniture and re-organizing the media center. Felt great to get that done! And then Molly checked out what the Easter Bunny brought her.





What a fabulous weekend! I really hope I can hold on to this one for years to come.

Daddy Daughter Friday: cuddle time

Molly loves playing with her daddy and now that she is starting to really "play" Dad is really enjoying it too. But nothing is better than a little pre-bedtime cuddle.





Happy weekend all.

To Kick Off Spring

In honor of Spring's arrival we packed up the car last week and headed out for a picnic at the park. And not just any picnic, Molly's first picnic.


It was a beautiful 78 degrees and sunny with a mild breeze. The husband picked up some burger patties and organic hot dogs on the way home and packed up his mini Weber grill. My dad was in town for his Manny duties so he joined us as well.

Delicious food, cold beer and cute baby moments ensued.











We had a fantastic time. And Molly thoroughly enjoyed herself. We are looking forward to lots of picnics this summer!