Flowers and solids {video}

image (Saw this on Facebook- if you have the accurate source, please let me know!)

Not our house this morning.

Most mornings are pretty amazing. Liv will wake up anywhere between 5-6, Iโ€™ll feed her in our bed, put her back in her crib and weโ€™ll both go back to sleep for a little while (until 7 or 7:30). Itโ€™s worked out beautifully because usually when she first wakes up, Tom has to start getting up for work, so she doesnโ€™t disturb his sleep. On the days I work, itโ€™s a great time for me to get up and start packing my work clothes, eat breakfast and pack food for the day.

This morning, we were all up at 5โ€ฆ and Livi and I didnโ€™t go back to sleep until 7:30.

Usually when she wakes up, sheโ€™s all smiles and happiness, eats, and easily goes back to bed.

Not todayโ€ฆ.

She was inconsolable, even after eating a full meal, diaper was clean, and did not want to play in her crib or go back to sleep. The only time she would stop crying was when I would pick her up or rock her and even then was whimpering. I lightly pressed down on her gums with my finger and she looked up at me like โ€œthat feels GOOD.โ€ I grabbed her teether out of the freezer, gave her a little baby Tylenol and it was like her world was changed.

We both finally went back to sleep and when she woke up, was an entirely different baby. She was happy to be awake instead of angry at the world ๐Ÿ˜‰

Today was also her first day starting cereal:

baby cereal

After the pediatrician said I could start her on rice cereal, I was pretty excited about it. Livi always watches intently while Iโ€™m eating โ€“sheโ€™ll sit on my lap and look up to see every bite go into my mouth- and has recently started reaching out for food. I figured she would love some rice cereal until she can have fruits and veggies in a couple of months.

The verdict?

I think she liked her new bib more than the cereal.

She only ended up eating about 4 bites, but itโ€™s a start. ๐Ÿ˜‰

These days are going to be amazing:

image Source

2 more months until the fruit and veggie fun begins.

_________________________________________________________________________

Thank you so much for the wrap help and feedback yesterday! Iโ€™m going to go ahead and order the BabyHawk. I think it will be comfy to wear and that Livi will enjoy riding on my back โ€“ sheโ€™s so curious and will probably love being able to see everything.

Now itโ€™s just deciding between the Metro Pink

image

(reversible with shimmery gold)

and the Grandiflora

image

(reversible with burgundy)

Itโ€™s going to be a tough choice between the fact that the gold will match everything, but that flower print is gorgeousโ€ฆ

Off to Trader Joeโ€™s and then workout time.

Have a great day <3

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47 Comments

  1. Maura @ My Healthy 'Ohana on May 15, 2012 at 4:49 pm

    Our daughter didn’t take to rice cereal at first, she kept pushing more food out with her tongue than was going in ๐Ÿ™‚ Eventually she got used to being spoon-fed, and when we tried oatmeal cereal, she liked that a lot better! It’s so exciting when they can start eating solids!

    • Fitnessista on May 15, 2012 at 4:52 pm

      it is so exciting! i think she’ll like oatmeal better too- the rice cereal probably doesn’t taste too wonderful

  2. Liz @ Southern Charm on May 15, 2012 at 4:56 pm

    She does love her bib!!! So cute!!!

  3. Rachel on May 15, 2012 at 4:57 pm

    I vote for the gold, it does go with everything And it will hide stains much easier than the white with the flower.

    Also, daaaaaaaaaaaaaaw, Olivia is so pretty.

  4. Julie M on May 15, 2012 at 4:59 pm

    I made all of my cousin’s son’s baby food and our philosophy was that we wouldn’t give him anything that we wouldn’t eat ourselves. She skipped right over rice cereal and went with veggies, starting with avocado, at 4 months (her ped actually suggested veggies first!) To this day (he’s 4 now) his favorite food is avocado!

  5. Brittany on May 15, 2012 at 5:01 pm

    It’s funny that you say she wakes up smiling. My niece does the same thing. When my sister, brother in law,niece and nephew came back in January I was holding my 3 month old niece so my sister could use the bathroom. When she woke up, she looked up at me and smiled. I only heard her cry once the whole weekend! My sister got lucky. My 2 year old nephew was the same way.

  6. Averie @ Averie Cooks on May 15, 2012 at 5:04 pm

    Beautiful carriers!

    We skipped rice cereal all together. Didn’t bother with it since it our pedi said it’s not nearly as nutrient-dense as other foods and gave us the green light to bypass it. So we did. Avocado, sweet potato, and butternut squash were the early foods. She loved anything orange!

  7. Stephanie @ Legally Blinde on May 15, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    Wow, I can’t believe Liv is already eating cereal!! And teething already, too – time flies. Love the video ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Jennifer on May 15, 2012 at 5:07 pm

    I LOVE the burgundy one with the floral print! Gorgeous!

  9. Rebecca on May 15, 2012 at 5:29 pm

    The feeding part gets easier! Although Max still wants to have ‘control’ and grabs the spoon to put it in himself. Too funny!

    I like the gold carrier!!

  10. Lindsey on May 15, 2012 at 5:32 pm

    You can also give things like avocado…I know several babies whose first non-breastmilk food was avocado! ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Krystle @ Fierce|Fabulous|Fit on May 15, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    You may already know this, but just in case, be careful of constipation with RC!! It can be difficult for their little tummies to adjust, and rice can stop them up. Sometimes it works well to start with avocado if RC is too much to handle at first. Ask your ped, but I’ve seen lots of constipated babies from starting RC in my years with infants! ๐Ÿ˜‰ Good luck!! And Livi is just darling!! I loved the pics you’ve been posting! Happy belated Mother’s Day, Gina!

    • Fitnessista on May 15, 2012 at 6:37 pm

      yep that’s already happened. little miss is not a happy camper today :/
      our ped told us to wait until she’s 6 months for fruits and veggies

  12. Sana on May 15, 2012 at 6:56 pm

    Hahaha if i was not old enough to eat solid food, I would totally stare at other people ๐Ÿ˜‰ Heck, i do it now.

  13. Sabrina on May 15, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    She is so big and so cute! I love her big eyes.

    Saw your comment above. Since starting solids Raffi has been having bagno issues. I feel so bad for him. He’s not in pain but we don’t have any interesting diapers for days on end. I am giving only foods that should help him (pears, prunes, etc) but it still hasn’t changed.

    Anyway, can’t wait to take the ride of the food adventure with you and Livi! It is so much fun to see their funny expressions ๐Ÿ™‚

  14. Tiffany on May 15, 2012 at 8:36 pm

    We opted to start with fruits and veggies first as well. Baby girl will be 6 months on Thursday and has yet to have any cereal. At 4 months the ped said she was ready to start solids of any kind.

    • Fitnessista on May 15, 2012 at 9:57 pm

      really? our ped said no fruits or veggies until 6 months :/

  15. Sarah on May 15, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    Poor Livi!
    I also bypassed Rice Cereal – the very thought of Eli being constipated just scared me too much. He’s just AWFUL when he cannot pooty. He’s six months now, and just started on some food. I do pureed oatmeal with apple and cinnamon, and steamed sweet potatoes with cinnamon. He loves it. I make sure to try it first so it tastes good. Also, Tyler Florence has a line of organic baby foods called Sprout. They are SO delicious, have no weird ingredients, and great in a pinch. I was advised not to be afraid of spices for the babies, within reason of course, no salt.

    • Fitnessista on May 15, 2012 at 9:56 pm

      thank you for letting me know about sprout!
      honestly, after today, i want to nix the rice cereal and wait until she can have fruits and veggies. she was SO cranky all day… very unlike herself. she was constipated, too. basically the past 12 hours have been a fiery nightmare

      • Amy on May 16, 2012 at 12:26 pm

        Be careful with some of the Sprout ones. My son had a bad reaction to one that had a lot of spices- there’s officially nothing worse than a vomiting baby in the middle of the night. Also, the first cereal I gave was basically breast milk. I think it’s best to start very watery and work up to the actual cereal!

    • JennP on May 15, 2012 at 10:49 pm

      Sprout is the best baby food ever!! I made most of my daughters food, but this was the one prepackaged brand that i always kept stashed. The sweet potato white bean puree was a long term staple around here.

  16. Jess @ Truly.Into.Fitness on May 15, 2012 at 9:04 pm

    OMG how ADORABLE is she??? She has the most BEAUTIFUL big eyes!!! They sparkle!! ๐Ÿ™‚ Such a cute video! Thanks for sharing <333

  17. Barb on May 15, 2012 at 9:15 pm

    You are such a sweet mom and Liv is BEAUTIFUL! I love that you talk to her ALL the time!

    • Fitnessista on May 15, 2012 at 9:55 pm

      thank you, friend. i’m just excited for the day when she can talk back to me ๐Ÿ™‚

  18. Jennifer @ Healthy Wifestyles on May 15, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    My vote is for the gold, but both are equally stunning!

  19. ash on May 15, 2012 at 9:26 pm

    I like the gold carrier! You are such a good mom—- knowing just what Liv needed when upset!

  20. Kerry @ Totes My Oats on May 15, 2012 at 9:50 pm

    That video is too cute. Livi is such a precious baby!

  21. Jess on May 15, 2012 at 9:57 pm

    Omg I cannot even handle that Livi video. She is too cute!

  22. Maddy on May 15, 2012 at 10:21 pm

    I love her eyes and expressions! Keep the videos coming! So cute. We actually had to do rice cereal really early because of reflux. The ped told us to mix it with breast milk and formula (since I couldn’t pump enough milk) and we had to get special bottles so the thick stuff could get through. Then by the time he was ready for spoon feeding he was already used to the taste. I do recall needing to do a combo of rice cereal sometimes and oatmeal cereal sometimes to keep things regular.

    Wait till she is old enough for Yo Baby organic yogurt (if you feel comfortable giving her dairy from cows). I should have filmed my son eating that stuff. It was his favorite baby food-any flavor. The expression on his face even when I pulled it out of the fridge was priceless.

  23. Jess on May 15, 2012 at 10:46 pm

    Hey, I just started reading your blog! And I’m hooked!
    I’ve got 18 month old twin girls and we had a terrible time with rice cereal! The Dr told us rice cereal first and we actually used the same brand as you. It gave them terrible stomach pains and really really bad constipation. Starting solids is really exciting and it is easy to go over board in the beginning. So just start really slow and if she can’t handle the rice cereal try a really high water content veggie like zucchini (steamed and purรฉed). Hope that didn’t sound too advicey, just wanted to let you know what we discovered the hard way! ๐Ÿ™‚

  24. another girl in tucson on May 15, 2012 at 11:53 pm

    have you heard of the book Super Baby Food?? it became my bible! we also jumped right over rice cereal and started with avacado. my son is 18 months now and eats everything. livi is just beautiful. thanks for always sharing her cuteness. ๐Ÿ™‚

  25. Shaina on May 16, 2012 at 12:37 am

    aaah! so freaking cute. I can’t wait!

  26. Katie on May 16, 2012 at 1:17 am

    Love the picture at the beginning of the post! Haha, I absolutely love cute things like that! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Oh, and speaking of cute things? I’d go for the Grandiflora.. I LOVE flower design! ๐Ÿ™‚

  27. Michelle on May 16, 2012 at 9:18 am

    I remember when I first started solids with Avery. We started a little later but that’s irrelevant. The big thing I noticed, and you may also, was I felt a huge relief when it came to nursing. We had to top her off quite a few times with formula just like you do. But then since she wasn’t completely dependent on milk I didn’t have to do the formula thing anymore. Hopefully you feel that same sense of relief! I think that’s the only reason I’m able to still nurse now, just a couple weeks from a year.

  28. Steff on May 16, 2012 at 9:32 am

    Love reading your blog, especially these family posts! My son was born January 16th, so I have been following along, and right behind ya the whole pregnancy and now watching the babes grow. I am starting to think about the whole introducing foods thing, as Sammy is 4 months today! It is soooooo hard to know the right thing to do or start with first, cuz there is so much different info out there! I did come across a lot of info saying that skipping the cereal and going straight to organic avocado, bananas, sweet potatoes, etc. is better. My ped even said that would be fine, because the cereals basically have no nutritional value and are just fillers. But, I have also read and heard that the cereal helps the babies learn to navigate the whole spoon thing ๐Ÿ™‚ Now I am just starting to read about the Baby Led Weaning, and that makes sense too! I don’t know what to do! ๐Ÿ™‚ So many decisions!

    Just wanted to let ya know I love following along with you and Livi, and like hearing about someone else who is going through similar milestones/things with their child that I am ๐Ÿ™‚

  29. Lizzie @TheWeekdayVegan on May 16, 2012 at 10:24 am

    CUTE CUTE CUTE video! She is so sweet. I know you were concerned about certain wraps being too hot in Tucson summers– the gold one will definitely stay cooler than the burgundy, and that metro pink pattern is so cute!

  30. Deanna @ Diary of Dee on May 16, 2012 at 10:41 am

    Go with gold! Super cute.

  31. April on May 16, 2012 at 3:12 pm

    Ahhh, SO darling!!!!!!
    …did you know you can make your own rice cereal, barley and oatmeal by just grinding (a Vitamix would work) up oats, barley or brown rice? Thought i would pass along since you love to cook:) I tried it with the oats and it works great. Now to get him to actually ‘like’ it, ha ha.

  32. Kaleigh on May 16, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    is it awful that I scroll down to look for photos of your lovely Olivia…then go back up and read? ; )

    She’s beautiful, and I truly enjoy getting to see these little snippets!

    • Fitnessista on May 16, 2012 at 11:03 pm

      not awful at all- i stare at that little face whenever i can ๐Ÿ™‚

  33. Julie on May 16, 2012 at 7:02 pm

    what a cutie!!

  34. Sara on May 16, 2012 at 8:41 pm

    Last time I visited my sister (Liechtenstein) Baby G was four months old and onto solids (mushed veges – neither of her kids did cereal until later, I guess it’s just a cultural difference – you can’t get baby rusks there either! Crazy stuff). She went out, leaving me to feed that hungry baby, and he is an EATER than one. He discovered the joys of blowing a loud raspberry – with a mouth full of veges. Yay. He would whimper for a mouthful of food, then spray it everywhere, laugh like crazy, then start whimpering again until I gave him another mouthful. By the time my sister got home everyone and everything was a mess, including my emotions. Now he is over that phase, but in Feb we took him to a restaurant and he discovered how to ‘ping’ a pea. He pressed down on one and it sprung off the plate. Hilarious new game ๐Ÿ˜€

    • Fitnessista on May 16, 2012 at 10:58 pm

      i love that story!
      i’m going to call the ped and see what she says- the cereal ruined liv’s stomach for the day. it was miserable, so i haven’t given it to her since

  35. Karen on May 17, 2012 at 6:32 am

    I concur on the RC – three of my kids were fine on it, the one that wasn’t, wasn’t. Everything caused her problems – bananas and applesauce constipated her too. It was awful. You know how when you are sick you do the BRAT diet? Well, duh, those foods don’t worsen diarrhea – bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. Anyway, you are smart to call your ped. My D still has a sensitive system – she’s 15 so she’s sensitive about everything ๐Ÿ™‚ It is fun to feed a baby “real food” but they don’t need it for nutrition yet so if you hold off longer she will be fine.

    I love the burgundy carrier -so pretty but since it is summer I would go with the other color.

    Good luck! Your daughter is gorgeous.

  36. Lauren on May 17, 2012 at 12:57 pm

    I have a question, did your doctor say anything about how she would react to gluten since you have been eating gluten free your entire pregnancy. I have celiac disease so it may be a bit different but I think that is something I always wondered about since the baby has had no exposure to it. I don’t have a baby but I have baby fever! so I think about things like this ๐Ÿ™‚

  37. Shamima on May 21, 2012 at 12:43 pm

    We skipped the cereal option as well. My son’s first meal was avocado at 6 months and from there only fruits and veggies until about 9 months. I followed the advice of a nutritionist who told me it wasn’t necessary to start with grains and for some infants they don’t have the enzymes to digest it right away. This worked for my little guy but every baby is different.
    I got a lot of great recipes from this blog:
    http://yourgreenbaby.ca/?tag=purees-6-to-9-months

    Shamima

    • Megan on June 10, 2012 at 8:35 am

      This is good advice! After checking out that website briefly, I’d def. read through a lot of it and use it as a guide. Also, you have to think…if your ped can’t get infant nutrition right, you might not be with the best ped! It’s no great mystery that babies need highly nutritious whole foods, especially with their enzymes, when adding on to nutrient dense breast milk. What else are they missing?

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