ashleyd /

Katie’s First Birthday Party

I am still in shock that our little girl is already ONE.

On Saturday we celebrated her first birthday with friends and family. We knew that we wanted to keep things casual so we invited everyone over for an afternoon of backyard fun including burgers, beer and cupcakes!

Friday afternoon my parents and I went to Fairway to buy all the ingredients for everything we’d serve for lunch. The menu was simple and easy but a clear crowd pleaser based on how much everyone ate!

  • Grilled sausages that were sliced into small bites and passed around as appetizers when people arrived
  • Hot dogs & hamburgers with all the fixings (cheese, lettuce, tomato & condiments)
  • Homemade coleslaw
  • BBQ and Original Chips
  • Fresh Fruit (Strawberries & Pineapple)
  • Rose wine & beer

I ordered a few decorations from Party City the week of the party and then picked them up in the store Saturday morning.  It is easy to go down the first birthday rabbit hole online but I stayed strong and only ordered a few balloons, a banner for her high chair and some bright, polka dot cups, napkins, plates and a few disposable table cloths.  Thanks to their summer sale and a coupon I received in the mail, all of the décor was less than $30!

Instead of baking or ordering a cake, we decided to go the cupcake route. Our favorite, local bakery, Buttermilk Bake Shop, has delicious cupcakes that are moist and topped with butter cream frosting. They used colored frosting to make the cupcakes match the invitation and other polka dot décor. If you’re local, I highly recommend them as their prices were very reasonable and they were SO friendly and helpful!

The party started at 11:30 Saturday morning and, as expected, the first people to arrive were the people with children. The little ones loved playing with Katie’s new kitchen and water table. Their squeals and interactions were so fun to watch while we enjoyed cold beers and toasted to making it through the first year of parenthood.  Around noon Bo headed out to the grill to cook the burgers and hot dogs while everyone hung out in the backyard.

After everyone enjoyed lunch we sang Happy Birthday to Katie and discovered that our daughter definitely has our sweet tooth. She inspected the cupcake for a minute before flipping it over and sticking the entire thing in her mouth!

The entire afternoon was exactly what we wanted and such a success. While not all our family was able to make the trip up to Brooklyn for her birthday, it was so special having my aunt and uncle as well as mom and dad there with us. They were so helpful from helping with setup, cleanup and hosting our friends! My only regret from the day was not getting a picture of the three of us together – oops.

Share Button
Follow:
Share:
Comments Off on Katie’s First Birthday Party
ashleyd /

Katie’s Nine Month Update

I can’t believe that Katie is already nine months old. The past few months have flown by faster than I could have ever imagined. Between going back to work and the holiday season I feel like the past few months have been a blur. I want to do a better job of capturing these memories so these monthly updates are going to be a priority.

So much changed this month as she mastered the art of crawling and has become fearless. I remember when we used to be able to set her down on her activity mat while she laid there, barely moving.  These days, we can’t take our eyes off of her or she’ll quickly move off the activity mat to the curtains, stairs, or other tempting area of the house. Luckily, my parents are here this weekend and are going to help us quickly childproof the home since she has started moving faster than we expected! You can imagine my face when I saw her suddenly go from crawling to climbing the stairs.

So, looking back, what transpired last month?

  • Moving EVERYWHERE – During February she started rocking back and forth, showing us that she was interested in crawling. But, the evolution from rocking to army crawl took a while and then, overnight she went from army crawl to actual crawling. She moves very quickly, especially when she’s barefoot or not on a slippery surface like her activity mat.
  • Standing – She is happiest when she is standing, slowly experimenting with walking. She has learned to pull herself up using either us, the sofa or our new ottoman as a brace. Once she is standing she bravely moves side to side, constantly looking up at whoever is in the room with a huge smile. She is so proud of herself.
  • Flu and croup – We thought we had escaped flu season and winter without any serious illnesses in our family. While she’d had a few minor colds which each lasted a few days, last month she suffered from the flu for six days. When she was up during the night coughing constantly and having difficulty breathing, we took her to urgent care after a number of recommended actions didn’t help her symptoms such as elevating the crib, steam shower, rubbing her chest and bottoms of her feet with Zarbee’s Naturals Baby Chest Rub.  Based on symptoms, on Sunday morning they diagnosed her with croup and gave her a steroid to avoid further complications. But, on Tuesday afternoon when she had a high grade fever, we went back and her pediatrician immediately recognized the symptoms as flu – high fever, congestion, glassy eyes, lethargic, and fussy disposition.  Luckily a few days of rest, cuddles, extra hydration and Tamiflu helped her feel better within a few days.
  • Kisses – While Katie hasn’t said any words yet or mastered the art of waving, she did give me the most amazing kiss on the lips the other night. She’s done at a few times since then it and make my heart melt every time!

Schedule 

As I mentioned in a previous post, we have introduced solids over the past few months and now Katie is enjoying solids three times per day.

  • 7:15 AM Wake Up and cuddles
  • 7:20 AM Bottle #1 (7 ounces of Similac Sensitive OptiGRO formula)
  • 7:30 AM Upstairs playtime while we get ready for work
  • 8 AM Solids + Water in Sippy Cup (Usually yogurt, fruit, cheese, avocado, or eggs)
  • 8:25 AM Leave house for nanny share
  • 8:30 AM Playtime at nanny share
  • 9:15 -9:30 AM Nap #1
  • 11:15 AM Wake up and Bottle #2 (7-8 ounces)
  • 12 PM Solids + Water in Sippy Cup (Usually a mix of proteins and vegetables such as Edamame, Broccoli & Avocado or Green Chicken Quinoa followed by some fruit)
  • 12:15 PM Playtime/Park/Walk
  • 1:15-1:30 PM Nap #2
  • 3:15 PM Wake up and Bottle #3 (7-8 ounces)
  • 4 PM Solids + Water in Sippy Cup (Usually very similar to the 12PM meal)
  • 4:15 PM Playtime/Park/Walk
  • 5:00 PM Catnap if needed (Typically less than once a week does Katie show signs of needing a 20-30 minute catnap)
  • 5:30 PM Pickup from nanny share and walk home
  • 5:45 PM Playtime at home with lots of reading, crawling and standing practice, dancing and playing downstairs
  • 6:45 PM Naked Baby Time (We have programmed our Google Home device so that when we say Hey Google It’s Naked Baby Time it says “Sleep well Katie” and then dims the lights and turns on the sound machine in her nursery. We walk her upstairs and undress her and transition into a soft, quiet mode ensuring that we help set the mode for sleep.)
  • 6:50 PM Bath Time (Katie absolutely loves her nightly bath and is in love with these bath toys which she plays with in the tub and we use to continue teaching her colors, textures and animals. We put this bath mat in the bottom of the tub this month which allows her to sit and play more securely without the risk of slipping.  We are currently using and loving Burt’s Bees Baby Shampoo and Body Wash.)
  • 7 PM Bottle #4 (7-8 ounces)
  • 7:10 PM Rocking and reading 1-2 books before putting Katie in her crib with 2 of her Wubbanub pacifiers as she now sucks on one and cuddles the other

Favorite Things

  • Teething Toy and Medicine – It seems odd to call this a favorite thing but this all-natural teething relief has helped with teething pain tremendously as Katie now has four teeth and has found great relief from just 1 dose of this before bed. While we introduced the Munch Mit originally back in December, she had very little interest in it. These days, she will happily gnaw on it while she’s in the stroller as we walk to and from nanny share.
  • V-Tech Busy Learners Activity Cube – We have tried to only introduce a new toy to Katie every other week or so which has allowed her Christmas gifts to bring continuous joy and surprise to her for months afterwards. This week we introduced this fun activity cube as a way to keep her occupied and entertained in the morning while Bo and I both try and get ready for work. She has enjoyed using it to push herself up to standing, play with the moving pieces and push the different buttons.
  • Puppets –  Soft, cuddly and creative creatures provide easy interaction for adult and infant anywhere and any time! While we only have two so far (Peter Rabbit and a bear) I am sure we will be buying more soon as playing and watching puppets is one of her favorite pastimes.
  • Pout Pout Fish – I discovered this book when searching for a few new books on Amazon and I can understand why it is rated so high. The colorful illustrations, sweet lesson and gentle rhyming has made it a favorite book for during the day or calming down before bed.
  • Carters – While we have a few special outfits from Jacadi, Lilly Pulitzer and Smocking Hot Mommas resale site on Facebook, 90% of the time Katie is wearing cotton basics from Carters.com or the Carter’s outlets. You can’t beat their prices for the quality especially when you consider how quickly Katie is growing. She is currently wearing 12M clothing but based on her height, she’ll soon be in 18M! These outfits have been our favorite so far – bears, hearts, and polka dots!

 

Share Button
Follow:
ashleyd /

Introducing Solids and Katie’s Favorite Foods

Katie Babybjorn Bib

These days, one of the most frequent questions I receive via email and Instagram stories, is how we introduced Katie to food and how she enjoys it.  Please keep in mind, what I’m sharing here is what worked for us but there are many different perspectives and options. Similar to starting a new exercise routine, it’s important to consult your child’s pediatrician before starting solid foods.

Introducing Katie to solid foods has been easier and more fun than Bo and I expected.

As you may recall, when Katie turned three months old, I stopped pumping and since then she has exclusively eaten Similac Sensitive.  She has thrived on this formula, which we order once a month from either Walmart or Amazon, depending on the price.  Around the time Katie was four months old, we realized that we should start doing research on solid foods. Every book, article or person that we spoke with recommended introducing babies to solid foods between the age of four and six months.  Some methods recommended starting with a pureed fruit or vegetable, while other sources suggested adding baby cereal or other grain to formula or breast milk. Neither Bo nor I wanted to start with baby cereal or fruit, instead choosing a vegetable. After both our pediatrician and a few friends recommended sweet potatoes as a first food, we decided that Thanksgiving weekend would be the perfect opportunity.

I remember the moment as if it was yesterday. An hour after her afternoon bottle was done, Bo and I held Katie in my lap and gave her a small spoonful of sweet potato. We’d roasted the sweet potato in preparation for making sweet potato casserole, one of my favorite Thanksgiving side dishes.  We both waited with baited breath, hoping she wouldn’t have any adverse reactions and would somehow signal that she wanted another bite. I was surprised by the fact that I actually got emotional. I remember tearing up because this was just one more signal that our little girl was growing up faster than I ever imagined.  After three small spoonfuls, Katie was giggling and smiling, loving every bit. We kept an eye on her that evening but luckily she didn’t have any negative reactions.

We introduced new foods very slowly in the beginning, following the baby feeding guide in Beaba Baby Cookbook. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, we tried each of the below foods, always allowing 2-3 days before introducing the next one.

  • Sweet potato
  • Peach
  • Banana
  • Apple
  • Pear
  • Carrot
  • Broccoli
  • Green Beans
  • AvocadoBeaba Baby Food

For the first month, we only gave her solids after her 4pm bottle as a way to get her accustomed to sitting in a high chair and eating from a spoon. By mid-December, the schedule we’ve followed, Mom’s On Call, recommended that she have solid foods three times per day (8 AM, 12PM and 4PM) so by this point we were laughing and making a mess with her three times a day on the weekends and our nanny gives her solids at 12pm and 4pm.  We also tended to only give her one or two types of food at a time. For example, she may have a small portion of peas and then have a small portion of avocado. We also started reducing her formula to 7 ounces instead of 8 ounces during the day.

Now that she is 8 months old, we’ve had a great time making her recipes from the cookbook which combine multiple foods. For example, she loves eating Autumn Chicken (chicken, potato, butternut squash & olive oil), carrot apple and potato soup, and Mini Mama’s Meatballs (turkey meatballs from the Beaba cookbook).  We also allow her to try small pieces of whatever we are eating, making sure that it is soft enough for her to gum and that it is cut into pea-size piece.

In order to take the guess work out of giving her solids, each Sunday I take 30-45 minutes to organize her food for the week.  In addition to the food I prepare in the Beaba, we also always keep YoBaby Plain yogurt, shredded cheddar cheese, eggs and avocado in the house for easy, last minute food options. Here is a glimpse at what she ate today:

  • 8am – 3 ounces scrambled eggs with salt & pepper and 1 Sweet Potato Chicken Meatball (Moving forward, per all the great info I received from you all, I will not add salt to season her food.)
  • 12pm – 3 ounces scrambled eggs with salt & pepper and 3 ounces of pureed pears (Moving forward, per all the great info I received from you all, I will not add salt to season her food.)
  • 4pm – 3 ounces of sweet potatoes and cinnamon and 3 ounces of pureed banana and apples

Here is a list of the things we’ve loved during this journey:

Your turn: If you’ve been through this process before, any tips or tricks? Favorite food that your baby loved?

Thank you to Beaba Babycook for sending us your amazing products. As always, all opinions our my own and we’ve loved their products so much that we’ve bought accessories and even given two friends a Beabacook for their shower! 

Share Button
Follow: