March of Dimes & Space Babyfood...

Hi friends!

We had a little bit of a busy weekend!... On Saturday, I had an eye doctor's appointment in the morning, then a baby shower in the afternoon... On Sunday after church, Jeremy and I decided at the last minute to participate in the March of Dimes Walk for Babies event at Centennial Park. We had just signed up a few days before & wasn't sure what to expect but were determined to walk in honor of our own little preemie miracle baby...

After church we had just enough time to run in Bread & Co. to get a sandwich for Jeremy and I and head over to the park and change out of our church clothes & eat in the car! {it wasn't until we were done & got to the event tents that we realized they had lunch provided there! Oh well..}

Once we got settled, we found a nice spot under a tree and fed Sweet Baby girl her very first pre-packaged baby food! {GASP!} ;) ... So as most of you know I've always made my own babyfood for her... It's my new passion in life... I absolutely LOVE doing it! But after months of feeding her all homemade, organic goodness, I've decided to finally try to loosen up a little bit and try not to be so obsessive compulsive about what she eats... Up until now, I've always bought organic fruits, veggies & meat to feed her... but we've come to a crossroad where she'll soon be eating the same food Jeremy & I eat and we by no means eat ALL natural or organic, so it was either change the entire family's lifestyle to organic or slowly introduce baby girl to "real food" ;) I mean I can't keep her sheltered from Cheez-its and hot dogs for all her life right! {What kind of life would that be! ;) }...

Anyhoo... back to the pre-packaged baby food... I found this great stuff called Sprout!... It's organic baby food made by Chef Tyler Florence {who I'm a BIG fan of on the Food Network!}... It comes in this neat, BPA-free container which I refer to as a "space-pouch"...

I found a coupon at Publix for buy one get one free and decided to buy a few to keep on hand because I knew we had a couple days coming up where we weren't going to be able to be home for lunch to feed Anniston.... and Sunday was the BIG day she finally got to try it!...

We fed her the "Sweet potatoes with white beans" one and she loved it!!!...{She hasn't met much she hasn't liked! LOL}... and I felt somewhat comfortable that the ingredients were just sweet potatoes and white beans- the end!... No preservatives or chemicals I couldn't pronounce... We were all happy! {Don't worry, I'm not retiring my Beaba Babycook anytime soon! She's still gonna be a homemade babyfood girl!... We just have a healthy alternative in case of emergencies! ;) }

So after our bellies were all full, we started our walk! :)... It was the PERFECT spring weather in Nashville for a walk around Centenial Park! And to make it even sweeter, our friends Stephanie, Christal, Crystal & their significant others walked too!... This sweet little baby girl slept the entire 2 miles, but at least she participated right! Ha :)

Here we are at the finish line!... Anniston woke up just as we were about to snap the picture!

After the walk, Jeremy took me to Tasti D-lite to get a frozen yogurt!... This had such special meaning for me because while Anniston was in the NICU, Jeremy and I would visit her every day... When the NICU closed for nurse shift change from 6:00-8:00pm, we would go out to dinner somewhere close to the hospital & we would always pass this place while they were building it... I was hoping they would get done in time for us to go, but luckily Anniston got discharged from the hospital before they were done... So it was very fitting that we got to all go after walking in the March of Dimes walk celebrating our healthy baby!... It made my tasty treat even sweeter! :)

Later that evening, Jeremy went to the driving range & Anniston helped me with the laundry! ;) Really, I was cleaning up in our laundry room/guest bathroom & needed somewhere to put her while I cleaned... She had a ball just sitting in the laundry basket playing! LOL

I was also FINALLY able to get some organizing done in her closet & get out some of the toys she's finally big enough for that we've had for a while like this cute pink horsey!

Then it was bath time, then bedtime!... :)

Infant Swimming Resource (ISR): Day 1...

Yesterday was Anniston's first day of swim lessons!...

We enrolled her in Infant Swimming Resource (ISR)... For folks who have never heard of ISR, it is an AMAZING program for infants starting as young as 6 months! It's not your typical swim lessons... For Anniston's age group, they really don't teach them "how to swim"... she will really just learn survival skills if she were to accidentally fall into the water.
The program is pretty INTENSE to say the least!! I've been joking to friends that it's like she's training for the Olympics or something!... We go 5 days a week for at least the next 4 weeks!... But at the end of the program she will be able to rollover and float on her back fully clothed in case she ever falls into the water {heaven forbid!}...

I have been so excited to get her started & had been buying tons of cute little bathing suits for months getting ready for the BIG day!... (Well turns out, they just wear a swim diaper!... Oh well, she'll be ready & fully stocked when our family lake house is done this summer! LOL :)

Our first few days, the instructor said she will basically just be getting used to the water & the feeling of getting water in her ears...

She was doing pretty well at first, then after a couple minutes she had a slight meltdown in the water!... but the instructor warned me that would probably happen!... :(

Overall, I think she did GREAT! :)

I'll try to keep you all updated throughout our training of her progress!... If anyone is interested in finding more out about this program go to http://www.infantswim.com/

Here's a really neat video that shows what she will learn to do by the end of the program...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwBBKVrcF1U

Playdate Picnic...

On Saturday, Anniston had her very first playdate picnic in the park!

My friend, Tonia, has 2 daughters... One who is just 2 months younger than Anniston, so we couldn't wait to get our girls together for a playdate!
The girls were both preemies, so now that they are both over 6 months old & the weather is warming up, it was time to get the together!... :)

We couldn't have asked for better weather! I think this was actually the first time I've ever had a picnic!... I LOVED IT!! And I think Sweet Baby Girl liked it a lot too!... She just sat still and enjoyed being outside and seeing all the people...
Of course I had to take a picture of me & sweet baby in our coordinating playdate outfits! LOL ;)

Then on Sunday we went to church & came home & set the camera up to take a family picture... :)

My friend, Rhiannon, got Baby Girl this pretty dress... She looked just like a little princess today that we had to take a ton of pictures ;)



Later in the afternoon, we all went to Lowe's to look around because we are planning to do some upgrades on our landscaping & deck, so we walked around to get some prices... I have to honestly say, I have never had so much fun at Lowe's before! I got goosebumps looking at brand new washer & dryers and kitchen appliances you would have thought I was in Louis Vuitton or something! LOL :)
Meet my newest obsession!...

Aren't they GORGEOUS!! Who would have thunk I would be fantasizing about a washer & dryer!! My, my, how our priorities change! :)

Well, that's all for now, I need to get ready for bed & get baby girl's things ready for her 1st day of infant swim tomorrow! WooHoo! I'll be sure to blog about that later this week! :)

Happy Easter...

Hi friends! Happy belated Easter!...

We had a busy day yesterday, but it was SUCH A GREAT ONE!... It was another wonderful holiday with our sweet baby girl!

We got up and went to Easter service...


Then when we got home, we gave Anniston her Easter basket!... :)

Let me tell ya, this baby girl definitely has her mother's genes when it comes to presents! She couldn't wait to tear into in! LOL ;)...

Since she can't eat chocolate or candy yet, I got a little creative with her Easter "treats"... One of my favorite finds for her Easter basket were these gold, Laura Ashley gladiator sandals!...

In true girl fashion, she loved her new shoes! :) LOL...

And I can't wait to put her in these precious little duck jammies!...

We got out of our church clothes and went over to my brother & sister-in-law's house for a pot-luck brunch...

After we ate, Melissa hid eggs all over the back yard for the kids to hunt!! (It was also the first time Anniston's little feet touched grass!)...

She didn't really know what was going on of course, but Jeremy and I had fun sharing that experience with her!
We couldn't have asked for a better Easter Sunday! The weather was PERFECT, we got to spend time with family & friends and we made some wonderful memories! GOD IS GOOD!...

Anniston's first trip to the zoo...

On Friday, Jeremy was off work for Good Friday and it was another sunny and 80 degree day in Nashville, so we planned a family trip to the zoo! I was SUPER excited!! I love the zoo and hadn't been there in years!... and Jeremy had never been to the Nashville Zoo so we were all looking forward to a fun family adventure!

We got Anniston dressed in her new little giraffe top for the BIG occasion! ;) ...

When we got to the zoo, it seemed like EVERYONE in Nashville went to the zoo that day! It was PACKED!!! Little Anniston didn't know what to make of it all at first... :)

But after awhile, I think she really enjoyed herself!... We got her out of her stroller so she could see the animals a lot better...

Jeremy carried her in her baby carrier for most of the trip and that worked out really well! I'm so glad we remembered to bring it!...

One thing I was really surprised about was how HUGE that place was!! I don't remember it being so big the last time I went... plus, I wasn't pushing a baby stroller either, so it seemed a lot bigger I'm sure! ;) ...

We stopped by one of the gift shops, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend so much money on one of those over-priced stuffed animals!... Even though this little monkey was really cute! {Looking back on this picture now, I wish I would have gotten it!... Guess I'll have to get it for her on our 2nd trip to the zoo...}

Sweet baby girl also got to ride on her first merry-go-round and she LOVED it!!...

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect first trip to the zoo! While we were leaving, we even signed up for a membership so I can take baby girl all summer long! :)

Baby pool...

We have had such beautiful weather here in Nashville lately!!! Last week we had 80 degree weather, so we went out and got Anniston a baby pool! I was SO excited to get her in one of her cute little swimsuits! (I'm a little obsessed with buying her baby swimsuits!)

On Thursday morning, I filled up her baby pool in the backyard so the water would have time to warm up a little bit before we got in later in the day...

After lunch, I got dressed then got her ready... Let me just say, THAT WAS AN ORDEAL!!... First off, Anniston has never really been out in the sun for a long period of time because it had been cold so I made sure I had all my bases covered for our BIG adventure in the backyard baby pool. I had sunscreen, bug spray, and a big hat all ready for her outing! :) It probably took us at least 30 minutes to get her covered in sunscreen, into a swim diaper, then into her bathing suit... I was just ready for a nap by the time we were ready!!!... But I was determined!!! (it was the first time I had put on a swimsuit since I gave birth so I was ready to get some sun too!!)


We get outside and the water was still too cold for her to sit in it! :( So I let her just put her sweet little feet inside while she sat on the side on the pool... It was SOOOOOO pretty outside that day & we had went through so such just to get her ready!...
After about 20 minutes she starts playing with the grass and I was afraid she was gonna try to eat it, so we went inside...

I filled up our big master bathroom tub and put a bunch of toys in there and we both just sat in there and played in our swimsuits til we were ready to get out...

It was definitely a memorable first trip to the baby pool!!!... ;)