Hot Potatoes, Mashed Bananas and more!

When we started to talk about giving Rylie solids I was super excited.  I had coupons for jar food and went out to buy it and then saw how much they actually charge for pureed foods.  I couldn't believe the price when it was mostly just the simple matter of steaming and mashing.  I decided that I would look into making our own purees for Rylie.

My favorite website for information is this one by far.  It has soooo much information.  I started to read about something called baby led weaning (BLW) and thought it was very interesting.  We decided to start with purees though, since Rylie is at school all day and they would be giving her purees first there.  We do some BLW ideas, like giving her large items to hold and bite off pieces on her own, and letting her take the spoon and serve herself.  It is very cool to see a child this young able to already know how to take bites and "chew", especially when she doesn't have any teeth yet!

There are several reasons why I am glad that I chose to make Rylie's food:

• I can save tons of money.....check this out!
• It is super easy, I just take a Sunday and make 2 fruits and 2 veggies and I am set for two months. Or I just mash up what we are having for dinner before I season it with one of these: BabySteps Food Mill by Kidco
• It is actually really fun :)
• I know EXACTLY what Rylie is getting.
• It is much easier to make food combos that she will like.
• Lastly, it looks really cool in the freezer

Oh yeah, and Rylie loves it!

Whoever said white men can't jump....

...never met Rylie! She loves to jump.  We bought her the Baby Einstein Musical Motion Activity Jumper when she was almost four months old and she took to it right away.  At first she just sat in it, but now she has mastered the jump! If we are sitting on the couch next to it, she will push herself over us and try to get to the jumper.
This was her first introduction at four months:

and this is her in it now, usually she is talking and laughing too, but lately she is camera shy:

Lions and tigers and (polar) bears, oh my

One of the Christmas presents that I have gotten the most use out of is the zoo pass that my in-laws get us every year.  We take lots of trips to the zoo, but this last one was super eventful.

The Columbus Zoo has just built an awesome new Polar Frontier that has been a huge hit and is always super busy.  Every time we have gone the bears are usually just laying around sunning themselves, but on this day they were super active. Rylie even got into it :)



There are two bears and they were playing and climbing in and out of the water.  It looked like we had arrived just in time for feeding.  Suddenly there was a mad rush for the underwater viewing area and Ryan, Rylie and I found ourselves a part of it.

I must say, one thing I have learned about the zoo and baby gear is that they do not go well together.  The zoo does not have enough space in all of it's exhibits to accomodate all the strollers, wagons and carriers that cram themselves in there.  When we finally found our way down I pulled the stroller aside and Ryan took Rylie to watch the bears eat. She was NOT impressed......

..but we were! we got some great shots of the bears eating and chasing their yogurt melts (thats what they looked like to me, I really have no clue what they were eating).

Rylie did perk up once we left the bears and really enjoyed watching the geese.  Really?? We drive all the way to the zoo and she is most interested in the things in our own back yard!

Overall it was a great trip to the zoo and I am so glad we finally saw something exciting at the polar frontier, it was very cool!

Its a family tradition

Every year since 1990 my mom has gotten ducks in the spring.  The first two ducks were presents for my sister and I from the Easter Bunny. They were Pekin Ducks and we named them "Easter" and "Elaine".  We loved those ducks and carried them around like they were real babies, until they were too big to hold anymore.  Each year our setup got more elaborate, first a cardboard box, then a small burlap pen, and one year we even dug up a spot in the yard and put in a small pond.

20 years later was Rylie's turn.  She got to meet the baby ducks for the first time today.  They sat together on the blanket and at first she didn't know what to think.  Then when it started moving she was intrigued.  She would reach for it, pet it and even got to hold it for a moment.  It was so sweet.

She's a mover and a shaker

I always forget about garage sales

My mom sent me a text message the other day about a large community baby sale, or 'baby boutique' as they called it.  I thought I would give it a shot to see of there was anything cool we could use for Rylie.......

My was I overwhelmed. It was two large rooms just overflowing with baby gear. I always forget about what great deals you can get at garage sales.  I had just bought the book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child" for $17 at the store and then I see it sitting there for 50 cents!! Guess I will be returning that book.

Anyway, I got there too late and all the things I was looking for already had 'SOLD' signs on it, but I did manage to pick up some clothes in great condition and the cutest little Care Bear bike for Rylie.  My wise mother and sister, on the other hand, got there before it even opened and my sister left with a plethora of items at great deals for her little bun in the oven!

Here is Rylie trying out the new toy:

The dogs were also quite interested in our garage sale find :)

It's Raining Cats and Dogs

We had some crazy storms the past two days that has left our once dry field looking like this:

and knocked down a tree in our neighbors yard:

It was the first time the tornado sirens have come on since we've had Rylie.  It was a little scary for me.  Plus, it was right at bedtime, so I was torn about how serious it was.  Do I lay her in her bed or keep her with me in case we have to get somewhere safe? Ahh the logistics of being a parent.  

In the end I kept her with me until the worst of it passed and then put her to bed, only about 20 min. later than  normal.  

Full Time Honeybee

This was Rylie's official full week at school with me.  She spends her days in the infant room, called the Honeybees. So CUTE! It is so fun to have her in the classroom next to me, I get to see her smile every time I pass by.  I am so glad to finally have her there with me.

(As a background to this, Rylie was sharing a spot with another child until a spot opened up. This meant she only attended school with me on Monday and Friday.  The other days of the week she was at my sister-in-laws which was a tricky situation for all parties involved.)

Everyone is much happier now :)

We also fed Rylie some big girl food this week.  She was able to hold a whole banana and bite as she needed and feed herself oatmeal on a spoon (a small attempt at baby led weaning).  She loves to feed herself!

Rylie has learned a new trick in her pack and play too:  

   

She smashes her face against it and wants us to touch her nose.  She will laugh hysterically and then smash her face again. Such a silly girl!

Watch out armed forces

....we have an army crawler now!  Rylie has been rolling, scooting and army crawling all over the place lately.  I can't believe how well she gets around for not actually "crawling".

We also had a recheck of her umbilical hernia this week.  After it was larger than a golf ball at three months, it quickly shrunk down to nothing by 4.5 months! So we cancelled the surgery that was scheduled in April and had to go in for a follow up on Tuesday this week.  The doctors were amazed at how quickly it had recessed and that she will even have an innie belly button when all is said and done.

This little girl continues to amaze me :)