Scenes from my weekend

I got my hair chopped off and colored last Thursday. It was a very welcomed thing and has cut (no pun intended) my getting ready time in half as well as my worry about what my hair will look like. I mean, did anyone else not get the memo about how much hair you will lose after giving birth!?
My hair just works this way and as much as I always want to try something different, I shouldn't. Don't fix what isn't broken.
I went to a friend that I grew up with and it was wonderful to catch up, even if the hubs called not once but TWICE to see what time I would be done. And did I mention that after I got rushed home, I find that baby is asleep and HAS BEEN the whole time? I think it is time for a girls weekend so Daddy can work on his babysitting anxiety...

Hubby had told me he wanted to take his two Valentines' out to dinner on Valentine's. Every night that we were supposed to go, neither of us felt like getting ready after work, scheduling dinner in sync with Ri's naptime, rushing home for bedtime, etc.
Last Friday night was the night we swore we would go. We didn't. And I was in bed by 10:00.
But we finally finished off this ombre cake I ordered for Valentine's...

Rilynn has attend three 1st birthday parties in the last few weekends. I know, she is a social little butterfly.
Whatever happened to all those Stock the Bar invitations we used to have on our fridge?

Avery Elizabeth

Harper Elizabeth

We went to this precious party on Saturday. It was a candy & chevron-themed birthday party. We took home a nice hefty bag of sweets from the candy bar.

Harper Annette

blurry pic of the goody bags- I had a baby on my hip 

Saturday night we attended an engagement party and then hopped on over to a local pub to hear some live music and catch up with friends. I desperately needed this. It was seriously my first time "out" since before the baby arrived in October.

Basking in the Sunday sun.

Sunday I helped host a baby shower for one of my sweet, cute preggo friends. She is seriously adorbs with her big ole belly and hasn't gained an ounce anywhere else.

Jennifer Lawrence. Oscars. Fell in her dress. 

If you know me, you know that back in the day I had a tendency to fall. Alot. And I got pretty good at not caring too much when it happened. Jennifer did a fabulous job of not making that fall so awkward. She almost seemed like she couldn't care less. Can we be best friends?!

 

I am telling you what. Target's $1.00 bins are usually a hit or miss but lately they have been a HUGE hit in my book. I mean, how stinkin cute are these??

Oh, and I forgot to mention- hubby got me tickets to see Fleetwood Mac in Atlanta this June as a Valentine's gift. Fleetwood Mac is going on tour one last time and doing the Rumours from back in the day. FM has always been one of my favs, and very nostalgic of my childhood. I am doing a permanent happy dance until June 10th.

nom nom nom

At our 4 month wellness check, Doc gave us the green light on introducing solids. I was going to try and wait it out a couple more months but Ri was up to 4 8 oz bottles a day so he said it is time.
I don't know about other moms out there, but starting solids was something I was eagerly looking forward to, but quite panicked about when it was all said and done. Between guidelines of what to start and when, how often and how much, I was really freaked that I might either starve my child or turn her into a beached whale.
No fears, my friends. I have turned to my "village" as well as some trusty websites and found great advice and resources to ease my anxiety. I think we are ready...

www.parenting.com
 Earth's Best Infant Feeding Schedule

Ri never liked rice cereal or oatmeal when I first introduced it to her. So this past week I jumped right into sweet potatoes. She LOVES them. My mom says I loved them too.

I have not changed her intake of milk at all. Instead, I have just offered some of the puree after her bottle at dinner time. For instance, a 2.5 oz jar of food will be divided and given to her at two different meals on two separate days. So, she will get her regular 32 oz. of milk a day + 1.75 oz of solid (unless she acts as if she wants more).

I plan to up her to a full 2.5oz jar a day as soon as she acts like she wants it. Right now we are just getting a taste for new things. Here are the foods we will be trying (introducing a new food every 3 days) between now and mid-March:

Sweet Potatoes
Squash
Bananas
Carrots
Apples
Peaches
Peas
Pears
Oatmeal- this will be a re-introduction since she hated them the first time.

Brands we love:
-Plum Organics: easy pouches for on-the-go, but I am having a hard time finding first vegetables in local inventories, and they are not available at many stores.

-Ella's Kitchen: Can easily be found at Winn-Dixie or Target, and are also in the easy to use pouches. 100 % organic, gluten, wheat, dairy & lactose free.

-Earth's Best. Can easily be found at Target, Publix or Whole Foods although Babies R Us has the best selection. USDA organic, vegan, gluten free, additive free and kosher certified. Bonus: can be bought in bulk and are super affordable. Downfall: jars, although that can easily be managed with help from the Boon Squirt Dispensing Spoon.

I plan to try and make our own foods this summer when I am home from work and cannot wait for Ri to be old enough to use the Sili Squeeze. I have friends that rave about it.

So wish us luck on this new journey of big messes and even bigger diaper bombs.