Slow Down, Lilly Belle!

This post is really for me to be able to look back and remember one day.

Lilly is changing so much lately and I feel like if I don't write about it now and wait until her 7 month post, that everything will be different and I'll forget these things to note.

We started a schedule with Lilly a few days ago and she is just so happy. I have known for a long time that I needed to do this but with my schedule it is so hard. I have this week off so I decided to jump in and get her started. She doesn't follow it to a T, but I don't really want that because I still want her to be flexible if we go out or have things planned. 

Here is how it has gone so far - we have a schedule on the fridge, but this has been what has been happening.

8am - Wakes up, Nurse & Solids (fruit)

Get her dressed and give her reflux medicine

{Playtime}

9:30am - Nap (usually just 30-45 minutes)

10:30am - Nurse

{Playtime} 

12:00pm - Nap (usually around 1 hour)

1:00pm - Nurse & Solids (fruit or veggie mixed with rice cereal)

--Afternoon everyday is hit or miss depending on how her morning went...still trying to figure this part out, not consistent yet. She still cannot stay up longer than 1.5 hours at a time (usually).

5:30/6:00pm - Bedtime Starts

Nurse, Solids (veggie & rice cereal mixed together), Playtime 10-15 minutes while one of us gets her bath/towel/pjs/swaddle ready, bath time (still her favorite! more on this later), pajamas on, reflux medicine, nurse again with the lights dim and music turned off/womb sound turned on (she has been falling asleep nursing -- LOVE) I usually sing to her during this time as well, swaddle....Bed! 

She is in her crib sleeping for the night by 7pm. Sometimes it is a bit earlier. 

Then she sleeps until 1-2pm and then has been up every 2-4 hours after that depending on ... who knows what lol, until we start the day again :) 

It has been so much fun giving her breakfast, lunch & dinner! Our pediatrician was so pleased that we had started solids already and told us to make it our goal to be feeding her breakfast, lunch & dinner at stage 2 foods by her 9 month appointment. Listening to Lilly, we decided she was ready to make the jump to her 3 "meals" a day now. We are still working on trying all the new foods so she is still in stage 1 foods and will be for at least another month. I give her the same food for at least 3 days before trying a new one to make sure it doesn't bother her tummy before giving her a new one.

So far, the only food we have noticed a problem with is sweet potatoes. Which is super interesting as her cousin Quenton has a sweet potato allergy. She was spitting up on the verge of 'is this spit up or vomit' after eating them each time and also would scream and cry all night. We tried it for a few days two separate times a few weeks apart with the same reaction both time. So...no more sweet potatoes for LB. Disappointing because I LOVE them, but we'll try again in a year when she's a bit older and see how she reacts to them in a fry version ;) 

She was having what seemed to be tummy trouble from rice cereal in the beginning but I think her tummy just wasn't ready yet. We tried it again about a week ago and now she loves it and it has been helping her sleep through the night. (Thank goodness) We will do oatmeal next. Yay! This is so much fun! 

Here are all the foods Lilly has had so far (remember, this is for me to remember...you don't have to read all this lol) not in any order:

*Avocados

*Sweet Potatoes

*Apples

*Bananas

*Peas

*Pears

*Rice Cereal

*Green Beans

*Prune Juice (in small amounts to help with constipation twice 1 oz/1 oz water)

*Oatmeal Cereal (will try again, just had once)

*Carrots 

*Yams

*1 veggie Mum Mum (only sucked on it for a bit then I took it b/c it freaked me out)

We are on pears right now (gf LOVES them!) and next on the list (because I've already bought them) are: 

*Peaches & Squash

Really, Lilly just loves food. She hasn't objected to any of it yet. She lunges for the spoon and gobbles it all up. It's so awesome! I love how the first few bites she looks at me like I'm crazy and then starts to realize its so yummy and starts going crazy waving her arms with excitement. It's really fun. I love being her mommy :) Hehe, she's the best. 

Lilly has also been practicing using her sippy cup. Another thing we are to have mastered by her 9 month appointment. It is so much fun to work on these skills with her. She hates drinking from her sippy cup and usually just starts coughing and gagging like we are poisoning her LOL. 

LB is a pro sitter now. We had a couple topples last week and I expect many more, but she can sit up for however long now. I don't feel comfortable enough yet to walk away for more than a few seconds, but she can definitely sit alone. We usually play with her sitting across from us with the toys in between us. She loves to sit up at her music classes and story time too! 

And now...for the big one. The reason I wanted to write tonight. It might not seem big, but for a family who loves and looks forward to bath time every night, this was huge for us tonight.

Lilly Belle now sits in her bathtub IN the bathtub. She no longer lounges in her tub in our room. Nope. Girlfriend was ready for bigger and better things. Tonight, we had bath time like a big girl :)

We took the infant insert out of her tub and loaded her up with all her toys (Begin Again bath toys are the best!) and she went crazy playing and splashing all happy. She kept looking up at us like "are you seeing this? this is awesome! watch me splash!!!" and then she would go all crazy. I just want to eat her up. She is so much fun right now! 

I'd also like to note that she smiled at a few random strangers at the mall today (that's a big deal). 

She is at such a fun age. She is changing every single day. I can't barely keep up and don't want to forget or miss a thing! 

And now, adorable pictures of our little water baby :)

Last night, Lilly was in the lounge position and kept trying to pull herself to sit up so I just sat her in the other end and she was so happy!

Tonight, I realized the insert came out and so now...this is bath time :) So cool!

"Mommy. Are you going to give me my bath toys or what??"

(she totally has my eyebrows.)

Her baby chub makes me so ridiculously happy. 

Lillian Belle,

My little girlfriend. You are growing so so fast! I will forever love watching you grow. And...I will always be here to help guide you as you grow. Always.

I love you!

-Mommy