The Battle to Eat

I started Ainsley on solid food a couple weeks ago. We have been doing the 4 day wait rule after each introduction of a new food. Lately it's been more like the 2 day wait rule but oh well. We started with rice cereal, moved to sweet potatoes, winter squash, bananas, pears, and today peas.

My problem is that each new food is met with a grimace. She now loves her rice cereal and her sweet potatoes and squash. I can't say the same for the rest. I thought maybe the fruit was too sweet so I tried peas today. It was a little better than the pears and the bananas but I still got a sour face and a head shaking "No". When I mix the bananas in with sweet potatoes and cereal, she is fine. Today I had Anne and Buddy give her sweet potatoes mixed with pears. They told me they laughed at the faces she made. They describe it as if she were eating lemons.

I am not about to give in and let her be a picky eater. I will continue to feed her these foods until she gets used to them. Do you have any suggestions of ways to get my child to like to eat? What food do you think I should try next?

A New Era Begins

My friends Jason and Leah recently became parents. Their baby, Logan, and Ainsley are exactly 4 months apart. Leah is going to start a new job on Monday. By luck, her schedule is opposite of mine. We are going to try our hands at nanny swapping. Leah is going to watch Ainsley on Wednesday and Thursday all day and I am going to watch Logan for a few brief hours everday starting at 3:00.

There are a few things that I am feeling about this new change.

Anne and Buddy will no longer be watching Ainsley on Wednesday and Thursday. MaryBeth will continue to watch her on Monday and Tuesday. While this is a good thing and it will save us a TON of money, I am going to miss Grandma Anne and Granddaddy Buddy's regular influence in Ainsley and my lives. They have been a great help to us as we have started parenthood. Anne has encouraged me and loved me where I need to be loved. More importantly, they have loved Ainsley. Ainsley also loves them. She lights up when she sees them, especially if Granddaddy Buddy whistles at her. I am going to continue going to their house once a month on Fridays to make sure we keep up the relationship. This is truly the sad part of this change.

As for the happy parts of the change, there are many. First, I get to further my relationship with Leah. I love Leah and don't know her well enough. Secondly, I will get to know Logan. He is precious and I am looking forward to his presence in our lives. I think that he and Ainsley will make great friends as they grow.

With every change in life, there is apprehension and joy and sadness, among other things. I can only look forward with great expectations on this new venture.

Ainsley checking out her new companion

Ainsley telling us what she thinks about her new companion. Leah and I are in for a treat.

6 Month Snapshot

Here are some pictures from Ainsley's 6th month!

My Inner Yankee

Yesterday after church was over, Ryan and I spent some time talking with our new associate pastor who recently moved here from Wisconsin. We were talking about his adjustment to living in NC and he said that it was a big adjustment. He listed a few reasons why but one of the reasons was the major cultural differences.

I am from Connecticut and have lived in the south for 8 of the past 12 years. I understand his comment. There are parts of me that I have given over to the south, but there are parts of me that will always be “Yankee”. Here are just a few examples:

• I move quickly - I drive fast. I talk fast. I shower fast.
  
• People who move slowly drive me nuts (this includes Ryan at times. I can't tell you how often I'm waiting for him at the front door with my coat on)
• I say what I think and therefore I am quick to offend people with my bluntness.
  
• A toboggan will always be a sled to me.
  
• I don't look total strangers in the eye when passing them in a hall or in a mall or on the street. I will always look away.
  
• I love the Fall and I do not consider NC “color” to be the same as New England “color”

There are things that I have fully embraced about the South. Here are a few of my favorites:

• I love biscuits. (I may have had this one before but it is stronger now!)
• The chivalry that still exists here that means people will open doors for you
• The strong Christian presence
• The Spring that lasts longer than 5 minutes and comes in March at the latest.
• I love that you can swim in the ocean in September
  

I believe that I am becoming a nice mix of both North and South, but in the deepest parts of my soul I will always be a Yankee.

Finally

I will resist the tempation to post another video because to most people it's really not a big deal...but...Ainsley finally figured out how to roll over.

At 4 months the books were telling me that she should be doing it with ease. She learned to sit up unsupported before she learned to roll over. I was beginning to think she would walk before she learned this skill.

On Thursday, I got an email from Anne while I was at work saying that my quiet days were over and that Ainsley had learned to roll over. I didn't quite believe her but I can now say with full confidence, she knows how to do it. I thought she forgot yesterday because she didn't do it all day but today she is doing it again like crazy (including in her crib!)

So congrats to Ainsley! You make mommy so proud.

The Reason for Church

Since we have been back in NC, we have been attending a great church. We feel very that we have found our church family. This is a true blessing because we never really felt like that when we lived in NY. Ryan and I even lead a small group in our home every Sunday night.

This past 6 months our church has gone through some major growing pains. I won't go into it but there are stuggles.

The whole thing has got me thinking about church and what roles it should play in our faith. This is the second time as an adult that I have had to go through major church issues. It happened when I was a child as well, but I wasn't old enough to understand. I am very discouraged by all the happenings, despite fully backing where we are headed. It's hard not to think about how these struggles are so sinful. Church is not immune to problems. It reminds me even more for the need of our Savior.

One of the major things that I am walking away from this with is that church, this one or any other, is not about the pastor or the elders. It should never be about the people. It should never be about the style of worship. It should never be about what activities there are for children. It should only be about Jesus. If we aren't going to church to worship Jesus, we are going for the wrong reason.

Catch Up

I have really been slack lately about my blog. It just seems like there is always something that keeps me from writing. I have posted a few videos but I haven't really put very much effort into my blog lately. Here are just a few of my excuses:

Christmas
My Christmas Party
My parents' visit
Being sick
Ainsley being sick
Lack of sleep

I guess I could go on but why? Everyone is busy. My goal is to post at least 3 times a week.

I was talking with my friend Leah yesterday (who also just had a baby in November) and I told her that I haven't filled out one section of my baby book. She assured me that I have done a good job with my blog and that I will be able to look back at it to see the milestones. That theory only works if you actually update it.

So the milestones that we have hit lately are this:

Sitting up unsupported - Started the week of Christmas
Eating solid foods - Started on 1/9/09
Vocalizing much more, especially the "D" sounds - "Dada" is just around the corner as her first word (she says it now but makes no connection to Ryan) - Early January 2009

Thanks for letting me chronicle my life and Ainsley's life here. Look forward to seeing more of me in 2009!

Like Mother Like Daughter

I have to apologize in advance. I got a video camera for Christmas.

Here is a cute video of my daughter turning into me.

Ainsley's Big Day

Ainsley is now 6 months old. I have been reading every book I can get my hands on about starting to feed your child solid food. I have actually been quite nervous about the transition that this will be in our lives. So far, feeding Ainsley has been quite easy and I was hestiant to change that.

So after reading and reading, we were finally ready. Ryan graciously took the afternoon off so as to not miss this big milestone (and to just spend time with Ainsley and I alone since we have been non-stop since before Christmas - thus the lack of posts).

I did take a very cute before picture but totally forgot the after picture. Oops. Settle for the video?

Looking Back and Forward

As the new day came today with a New Year, I was prompted like most people to look where I have been and where I am headed.

This past year has been a wonderful one for me. There is not much that I can complain about. The year is really split into 2 parts for me with a date of July 6, 2008 being the transition from one part to the next.

Prior to July 6, it was just a Ryan and me. I was pregnant, so it wasn't really just me but parenting was still more of a concept than a reality in my mind. We were looking forward to the birth of our daughter with great expectations. I spent so much time trying to imagine what labor would be like and what holding a new infant would be like. I didn't think much past what the first few weeks would be like. That felt like enough for my imagination. Ryan and I spent countless hours pouring over the name book. We really struggled settling in on just one. We were so excited to start this new chapter in our lives.

There were other non-pregnancy things that were good about this past year. I am reminded again of how blessed I am with a great job at a great company. I am doing what I love to do and I work with some incredible people. My boss was so gracious with me through my pregnancy with doctor appointment after doctor appointment and many other accommodations. I forgot how to carry a computer around. I couldn't reset our fax server because I couldn't fit into the space to get to it. He took up a lot of slack for me while I was pregnant. Most of all, he was gracious with an extended maternity leave and a transition to a part time schedule.

Ryan and I also celebrated 8 years of marriage. I can't believe it's been that long and yet it feels like just yesterday we were those crazy young people setting out on this journey of marriage. We have really grown up together and it's so fun to watch our relationship change again as we add parenting to the mix. From the moment I told Ryan that I was pregnant, he stepped up as the Dad that I always knew he would be.

Then came labor and delivery. I won't go into that AGAIN. I have bored you enough with it. But Ainsley Elizabeth arrived on the scene and my life changed forever. Those first few weeks were rough but we quickly settled into our routine. I have to say that being a mother has truly changed me. I am not the same person I was from little things I do to big decisions. Sometimes it's still hard for me to believe that this child was once a glimmer in my heart, and then a tiny baby in my stomach, and then a "tiny human" (as Ryan refers to her). I still find myself going into her room at night and just watching her sleep amazed at God's wonderful gift to us. I really feel that this is what I was designed to do. I am relishing in every moment of it.

So now it's time to put 2008 away and move on to the New Year. I am looking forward to all the new things that are to come in 2009. There are many "firsts" in my future from first teeth, to first steps, to first words. But there are also many other things that will be in my future. There will be many great times had with friends and family. There will be more accomplishments at my job. There will be places to serve within our church. There will be experiences that I can't even imagine right now. There will no doubt be struggles as well. I look forward to those to as I consider them wonderful opportunities to rely on the God that I love so deeply.

Let's run into 2009 with great expectations.

Happy New Year!