Six Year Wedding Anniversary

This weekend Kevin and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Typically I would say something like "whoa, I can't believe it's already been 6 years" but in reality it doesn't seem like a long or short time. It is normal to me. We dated 3-4ish years before we were married and I only ever dated one other guy so Kevin is really all I know and I love it!

Birthdays and Anniversaries are special to us but we don't always go all out for them. We make them memorable and special. This year was our first anniversary with Lillian. My mom came down Friday afternoon and watched Lillian while Kevin and I went out to dinner. Thanks Mom! Kevin was craving some wings and I pretty much always eat chicken so we ended up doing dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings, fancy right ;), and dessert at Yogurt Mountain. We love fro-yo now so it has become our go to date spot since we moved to Huntsville.

Kevin's cup is always way more full than mine, he gets more ice cream and I get more of the candy/toppings. After dessert we went back home. Like I said we keep it simple but it was enjoyable to get out and talk with just him. 

We tried to do something small and special all weekend so Saturday we went to a little orchard on the side of the road and picked up some apples (Kevin proposed to me in an apple orchard) and shared an apple cider slushie. It is the yummiest drink ever, it is essentially frozen apple juice but no sugar or preservatives added. Lillian got to try some too but was either too cold or to tart for her.

The weather was wonderful so after we went out to the park and Kevin flew his RC airplane then we let Lillian swing and Kevin took her over to the dog park. I am not a dog person so we will never have a dog but it was so funny to watch Lillian watch the dogs run around. Some came up to the fence and she would just stare at them and when any of them barked she would bust out laughing. it never scared her which surprised me but so funny when she laughed. After the park Lillian went to bed and Kevin and I watched the original Superman, a little tribute to our wedding because we incorporated Superman into the wedding ceremony. Kevin and I walked back down the aisle to the superman theme score and our ring bearer carried a superman stuffed bear down the aisle. 

Isn't he a cutie. Hard to believe he is like 10 yrs. old now. 

Sunday the 15th, our actual anniversary, Kevin treated me to Krispy Kreme before church! We went out to Mexican for lunch, we could live in mexico because he LOVES mexican food. Sunday night we ended the weekend with another trip to watch Kevin fly his airplane. Its pretty cool. He has a camera on the plane so you can watch on his you tube channel.  

Neither one of us are perfect (Kevin is pretty darn close) but we strive to be the best spouse for each other daily and I am so very thankful for the 6 years we have had and hope for at least 60 more!

Lillian's 25th Week

25 Weeks Old!

This picture makes her legs look so long to me

Note to self* don't take pictures right before nap time. Poor thing was too tired to smile.

Nursing: I am continuing to nurse like normal, 4 meals a day, and will continue as long as I can. My goal is 12 months as I have read its the best thing for them. We tried our first solids this week.(besides rice cereal, if that's even considered a solid) Instead of traditional baby food we are trying out Baby Led-Weaning. I have done lots of research online about it, talked to some friends about it, and read lots of blogs from people I don't even know so I could fully understand what exactly Baby Led-Weaning is about. For the sake of typing it all out you can go to the website http://www.babyledweaning.com/. You can buy a book on Amazon, I still need to buy and read it. All of my information came from online. Essentially, BLW is feeding your baby food in its normal form, no mush, whatever you are eating. My friend Emily has done a great blog post about it after she did it with her daughter you can read here. Kevin and I talked about what our plan for Lillian would be and I told him what all I had read and learned about different methods and he was on board for trying out BLW. He is great about making sure I feel confident with anything I do for her and never questions me after. He is also great about reading any research I send him so he understands it as well. I am very grateful that he is involved. So far here is what we have done and learned.

First Solid: Banana 9/6/2013

The mushed up pieces are what was left after she tried to pick up the pieces and ended up just mushing them in between her fingers. Instead of large pieces we just gave her a half of the banana and that was easier for her to grasp. I know she ended up ingesting some of it but for the most part it went in the trash. We felt good about it. She wasn't going to starve because I had already nursed her like normal but she now has a sense of what a banana tastes and feels like. 

Second Solid: Eggs  9/10/2013

again she did not ingest much but she seemed to like eggs. 

My only problem so far is I don't know what to give her. BLW says you can give whatever you are eating but I realize there are also some things better to start off with and I read no salt. Any advice would be appreciated. We have only done it those two times so far and it's been breakfast foods so Daddy could be home to experience it too. BLW is said to help kids not be so picky so we are all for it so she doesn't end up like Mommy who hates vegetables! Two things we have learned so far: 1. bananas should be ripe so they don't cause constipation. 2. One of these two foods caused some suspicious black string-like substance in her diapers. 

Sleep: Sleep has been the same. If she wakes up in the night she falls back asleep within minutes. She still wakes up around 5 something so Kevin will stick her in her swing and she sleeps until we go wake her up around 7am. If she wakes up anytime after 6am I just bring her back in bed with me and hope she falls back asleep. We went and stayed at my parent's house this weekend while Kevin was out of town. Poor thing had to sleep in their linen closet because everywhere else was too bright. She still takes her best naps in her swing and in the pitch black. We did finally wean off of the swaddle. I tried it a few weeks ago and she wouldn't fall asleep or would wake up a bunch so we kept swaddling and I randomly decided to try it again this week and for 2 nights now she has done great without it. 

Other Happenings:

- Lillian makes this long fairly loud moan when she is tired. It's so funny, I think it is how she relaxes herself.

- Moved up to size 3 diapers

- Lillian is sitting up on her own unsupported, she occasionally will fall to the side still.

- No crawling forward yet but scooting backwards and around and around in circles a lot. 

- Loving our video monitor. I love to be able to see how she sleeps, her arms are always spread out, she plays with her ears as she's falling asleep.

Our Sweet Girl is growing up!

Lillian's 24th Week

I don't mind football but I am not sitting on my couch every Saturday watching the game. However since Kevin actually graduated from Georgia Tech this is who our family cheers for.

Nursing: Since Kevin and I were out of town for half the week Lillian didn't do much nursing but has still been a champ. I have been freezing pumped milk ever since Lillian was born. I only pumped if we had to be out somewhere or if I needed Kevin to feed her, so the milk I had saved up was just from engorgement or anything extra after morning feedings when I am more full than what she eats. After 5 months we had enough milk saved up for about 17 meals (she eats about 8 ounces each feeding). She would only need 14 meals worth while we were gone. I had a bunch of 4-5 oz bags so my mom just used two of each so she may have eaten more than 8 ounces a few feedings but apparently she ate every last drop. I took my pump with me out of town and came back with 112 ounces to replenish my stash.

Sleep: Thankfully my parents came down and stayed at our house all weekend to watch Lillian so she was still in her normal environment. They did a great job at keeping her on schedule and said she slept through the night every night and if she did wake up she must have put herself back to sleep because they didn't have to go in to soothe her. She does still wake around 5ish but usually because she has a dirty diaper or the sun is coming through the window too bright. We just give her a paci and she falls back to sleep until about 6:30-7am. Her naps have changed she use to sleep really well at her morning nap but not just sleeps about an hour and then her afternoon nap is now her good long 2.5-3hr. nap.

Other Happenings:
- We left Lillian for the first time this week. Kevin was in a wedding in Hilton Head, SC so my parents came down to watch her from Friday afternoon until Monday afternoon. I am so grateful they were willing to come down. It made it a whole lot easier, on me, leaving her knowing she was being well taken care of. They of course loved spending time with her and all the reports came back good each day. Here is a picture of us from the wedding. (One of my brothers did this for his wedding too but if you are getting married do what these guys did and buy suits instead of renting them. They usually come out to be about the same price as renting a tux. And the only difference in a suit and tux is that shiny part on the lapel and pants. Plus now Kevin has a nice suit.)

It was a beautiful wedding and venue and the whole weekend was wonderful. Here is a picture of the bride and groom during their first dance.

- Naturally my parents spoiled Lillian and bought her two new toys she loves playing with.

This is an old school toy (i'm pretty sure we had one similar) but it's so versatile. She can develop motor skills grasping the rings, learn colors, and we count the rings. She really likes to knock them off the tower right now.

Nana also found this awesome inflatable pool from Kohls for like $5. (I have said it before she is good at finding the bargains.)

Lillian wasn't sure about it at first and she did take a few nose dives face first but Mommy was watching her very carefully and she never inhaled or swallowed the water.

She loved splashing. (Yes that is my knee, I got in too so I could hold on to her better)

This one makes me laugh with one hand relaxed on her knee and the other back in the water like she is leaning back soakin' up the sun!

- When Kevin and I first got married we started a tradition of collecting ornaments for Xmas tree every time we went on vacation, after a few years we started to forget or never found one we liked so i decided now that Lillian is born we would start a new tradition. Anytime we go on a vacation (not just out of town to visit friends or family) we will buy a T-shirt. I'm totally a T-shirt kind of gal. Hilton Head is where Kevin and I went on our honeymoon 6 years ago. We both got Salty dog shirts at that time and they are good quality shirts so I wanted to get another one. Of course thinking of my new tradition here is the cute little shirt we got Lillian. 

Lillian's 23rd Week

Takin' it back to the 80's and rockin' my leg warmers.

Nursing: Lillian did great this week. She fed a normal amount of time. We did end up starting rice cereal again and it helped with her sleeping. there was only one night I forgot to give to to her and that was the only night she woke up every couple of hours. I only give her the rice cereal after her 7pm feeding and it is only on 1Tbsp to 2 oz of milk. A few times she would wake early from naps which was hard because she gets hungry earlier. I try to hold her off until 15 minutes before her normal scheduled time. She usually does great but when it hits that mark she is ready. 

Sleeping: She did great sleeping. I put her to bed around 7:30pm when she is finished eating. Most of the time she is quiet but we have caught her a few times talking to herself. She sleeps all night until about 5:15am. I usually go in there and put her paci back in or put her in her swing and she either wakes up at about 6:45 or I have to go wake her up after 7am. She sleeps longer in her swing. Her morning naps last longer (about 2-21/2 hrs.) her afternoon naps are about 2 hours and her evening naps are usually just 45min.-1hr.

Other Happenings: 

- We finally got a video monitor and I LOVE it! It is an IP camera we got from Amazon for just $80 and then downloaded a free app on our phones, computer, and iPad. It has audio too but we just use the video for now. She moves a lot when she sleeps.

We busted Lillian partying in her crib about 2 hours after we put her to bed.

- We still swaddle her legs to sleep in the crib. I tried to put her to sleep without it but she does not fall asleep and the one time she did she only slept 20 minutes before she woke herself up.

- TMI WARNING: I promised Kevin I would never post about spit up and poopy diapers on Facebook so I'll put my question here. Lillian is about 16lbs ( i weighed her on our home scale with me and subtracted my own weight) so she should be technically in size 2 diapers right? Well she has a poopy diaper about every other day and she is ever in her carseat she ALWAYS has a blow out. Do I need to move up a size or any tips on what to do when she is in her carseat to prevent this. We have had to throw away a couple outfits because they were lost causes. 

- Lillian loves to boogie. We dance together during the credits of movies or TV shows I watch.

- We are raising the next Beethoven see video proof here

- Lillian got to swing at the park for the first time and seemed to like it. She is not a fan of how bright the sun is though. 

Boutique Style without Boutique Price

Being a mom of a beautiful 5 month old now I have come to realize girls clothes are expensive. (Probably all children clothes) but I refuse to pay $35 for a dress that Lillian will only be able to wear for one season before she grows out of it. I hardly ever spend that much money on something for myself and I have clothes I still wear from back in high school (10yrs. ago). Not going to mention any brands but you other moms have seen those cute outfits and then gasp when you see the sale price is still $55!!!

Here lies the dilemma though. Those $35+ dresses, jumpers, and bubbles are sooo... cute. And a lot of those smocked dresses are timeless. I wore them was I was young. But I just can't justify it. So what do we do? We find the deals. Trust me they are out there.

Most of Lillian's clothes were bought by Nana or her Aunt Nina, they have good taste. Baby Gap is where a lot of her everyday clothes have come from, and the onesies are from department stores like TJMaxx or Kohls( we almost always have a 30% off coupon for Kohls). These stores have great deals. But what about those expensive cute dresses? The answer is consignment! You have to be careful though at these sales because they aren't always way cheaper ( the previous mom remembered how much she paid for that dress and wants to make the money back). But for the most part it's a deal! Here are two little outfits i got at a sale today.

This swimsuit is for next summer and was monogramed. I just unstitched the monogram and will either replace it with Lillian's monogram or an applique. It was only $5! Whoop Whoop! (I'm a sucker for seersucker)

This was a little bit more pricey,$25 for top and pants, but it's a size 2 so I figured she may be able to wear it a little longer than a month or two. Plus I can add a shirt underneath for cooler weather and add a little applique or monogram.

Other places I've seen are Facebook groups of moms doing resales of their kids clothes. Kind of like a yard sale but through Facebook. This is what I would do because you just take a picture and post with a price and anyone can view it. No worrying about attaching them to hangers with safety pins. Small businesses or boutiques also have Facebook pages and will generally have a daily or weekly deal! I recently got this cute little dress for Lillian through Hush Little Baby.

source

It was a daily deal for just $16 and while on the Facebook page I noticed another cute dress

source

for $60 but they mentioned a coupon code to get 60% so I got that for a steal at $14.40!  Granted there is shipping cost always involved with these items but it keeps me from having to get  little one ready and out and about and saves gas money. Plus who doesn't love when you get a package in the mail! ***UPDATE DO NOT ORDER FROM THEM! I have yet to receive my order almost 3 months later and I emailed them twice and no response. E tracking number they emailed me only shows a label was created for this package but I that it has never shipped****

The last place I've been able to find a few good deals online are websites like Zulily. Zulily is a daily deals site featuring up to 90% of apparel and other items like toys, shoes, and housewares. I have found some cute dresses on here cheaper than I have at a consignment sale. Zulily is done through a membership but don't worry it's a free membership and if you refer friends you get store credit. ( if you don't already have an account tell them I sent you when you sign up) plus if you buy something in the morning and then realize later that the other toy was actually a good deal too so you want to buy it, no problem. You only pay for shipping once in a day. Here is something I bought recently from Jelly the Pug on Zulily for $19.99. I don't remember the original price but I believe it was around $40-$50.

(Bad phone picture)

Two more pieces of advice; 1. You can  to learn to sew the clothes yourself. I am not that talented. Or  maybe you can find a friend who would be willing to whip up a new outfit (they saw on Pinterest) for a small fee. Buy the fabric at hobby lobby and use a coupon to save money as well. 2. Buy stuff out of season. Before i even had lillian my mom and i went shopping at a department store. Went over to the clearance racks and racked up on some adorable outfits. Lillian's closet ranges with clothes from 3months- 3T. Eventually she will fit into the clothes and we try to guesstimate what size she will be wearing for each season.

Lillian's 22nd Week/5 Months

Happy 22 Weeks Old!

Lillian also turned 5 months old yesterday 8/19/13

Nursing/Sleeping: The two go hand in hand. We did well eating this last week. She was off of the rice cereal this week but she turned 5 months old yesterday and I felt like she didn't eat much at her last feeding so I gave her 1tsp with 1 oz of milk. That was the only night this last week she did not wake up. She slept from 7:30pm-5:30am then I put her in the swing since she was still sleepy and she slept until 7:15 when daddy went in to wake her up to eat. We will see tonight if it was a coincidence or not. She still goes down great for naps but wakes up early. Her awake time only lasts about 1hr. 15min.- 1hr. 30min. before her sleep cues kick in; yawning, rubbing eyes, and whiney. I know if I keep her awake longer then she may sleep closer to her next feeding but it's best for everyone if she goes down right when she gets tired. Also her morning nap and early evening nap are getting shorter and shorter but she is wide awake when I go in to soothe her. Her midday nap is at least 2 hours. Most of the time she is ready to wake up and we are welcomed by a HUGE toothless grin!

Other Happenings:

- She is starting to support herself sitting up more. Not a pro yet but we are getting there. 

- Lillian got a new toy to keep her upright more during her awake times and she loves it but only for 15 min or so, unless someone else sits with her and entertains her. She has started flinging herself back in the seat of the toy (she associates the seat with her doorway jumper and thinks this toy does the same thing) so I put a pillow or thick blanket behind her for support. 

- She has noticed when I walk out of the room and she starts to fuss, I just tell her what i'm doing and she goes back to playing. lol

- Lillian's hair is so red in pictures but looks dark in regular light

Her shirt says "Daddy's girl" and Daddy makes sure he gets some Lillian love whenever he is home. 

Lillian has more hair than Daddy!

Lillian's New Toy: Bright Starts Around We Go

After lots of research and trying to find a deal we finally bought Lillian an exersaucer. I bravely put it out there on Facebook to get some opinions on what we should buy. I appreciated all the opinions and did take the advice given out. I searched garage sales, Craigslist, Amazon, Babies r us, and Walmart to find the type I wanted. The walkers didn't have enough toys on them and the regular exersaucers were too stationary and big. We also passed on the jumperoo because we already have a doorway jumper,which she loves but the bouncing makes her spit up even more than she already does. The two we liked were these: 

Evenflo In The Garden Walk Around Exersaucer

Bright Starts Around We Go Activity Station

  The benefit we saw in this style is that it still moved like the walkers but was also stationary so we wouldn't have to worry about it falling over or down the stairs ( if we had any). The Evenflo Walk Around was not in stock anywhere. I liked it better because of its cuteness but Kevin liked the Bright Starts because it would "force" her to walk around to play with the different toys versus having the toys around her seat. We ended up buying the Bright Starts Around We Go. I hate that I couldn't find it on sale or used anywhere and the price was more than I wanted to pay ($89.99) but so far it was worth it. Lillian loves it and there is a great variety of toys. 

Details of this product:

• toys include frog popper, spinner ball, ratcheting bee stalk toy, piano and mirror station
• Removable snack tray is easy to clean
• Designed to grow with baby through the toddler years
• Rotates 360 degrees allowing baby to walk around play table
• Three play modes with two plush stalk 

As soon as I sat her in it she started playing. 

Happy for her new toy.

When Lillian is older and walking on her own we can remove the seat and just use the activity table

Lillian is not quite tall enough yet to reach the ground with both feet to walk (she has little legs and long torso). And the seat is so big we have to stuff a blanket behind her.

Overall I am very happy with our purchase. I would give it 4.5 stars, bright colors, lots of toys, easy to assemble. Not quite 5 because there isn't a way to adjust the height since she is too short. The price also seemed high to me but all of these types of activity stations are pretty high. It is great to have a place for her to play where she can sit up and I don't have to worry about her falling. The only other ways we had her sitting up were the doorway jumper and her Bumbo. She always leaned forward too much in the Bumbo and spit up all the time in both. After two days she has only spit up once in the exersaucer which is AMAZING if you know my spit happy baby.