Hello, Friday, I thought you would never come. Am I the only one that felt like this week lasted forever? I’m usually lamenting how fast the time flies, but it feels like forever since the weekend.
There are plenty of links in today’s post, but none of them are affiliate links.
I’m not going to start with “I owe you a post on,“ because that list could get long, really fast. But, I definitely owe you a full post on baby led weaning or infant self-feeding. The last eight weeks have been quite the journey, but we are finally getting the hang of things. I’m starting to see a pattern in the kinds of foods Polly loves (not chicken) and she’s actually eating things instead of just playing with them. Waffles, raspberries, and sliced turkey were a few new additions that got high praise this week. She’s also drinking water out of these cups at dinner and is getting so good at it! A few nights ago, she got a particularly peppery potato wedge and was making the funniest sound. It was a few minutes before I realized why she was panting, but a full cup of water later and she was digging right back in.
I’m hesitant to tell you about it because I’ve jinxed us before, but our bedtime routine seems to have improved greatly over the last few weeks. I had to admit out loud that Polly gets up to eat over night and to stop hoping that we were one night away from a great sleep. Once I admitted that to myself, and adjusted my expectations, things seemed immediately sunnier. She’s been waking around midnight and three for the last week and that is so much better than where we were a month ago. We’re all more rested and I’m able to sneak a morning pump session again.
Josh is ready for Polly to move upstairs, but I’m still holding onto having her nearby. This isn’t resolved, but we are talking about it.
Rachel’s birthday is today and I loved her birthday post, but I felt like she was writing #11 just for me. It’s hard to look at myself in the mirror, and even harder to do so for multiple minutes a day while attempting to speak kindly to myself instead of critically. In doing so, though, I learned a new kind of love for myself and this skin I’m in.
We’re almost in the thick of recital prep, so when The Birmingham Mom’s Blog Facebook Group shared this old post, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. I am definitely a dance mom, but I hope I’m not the crazy one. I had to sort through old dance photos for Ella’s Ten Year Anniversary ad and it was so much fun to see how her sweet face has evolved. As soon as we get this year’s portraits back, I’m planning to share a recap of all ten years.
I had a gut check this week about our house and I feel like I should say it out loud. My girls are constantly asking to have company, but I’ve been so hesitant about having any one stay over because the upstairs is a nightmare. Even though we haven’t started our renovation, the downstairs makes it seem like we have it mostly together. Upstairs is a different story. One room — “the box room” — has all of the decor that I’m saving until I’m sure the rooms are done. Sophie’s mattresses are on the floor. Ella has destroyed the carpet in her room, knowing it’s about to be replaced. The bathroom looks pretty much exactly how it did when I moved out, over twenty years ago. My mom sent me this Instagram post earlier this week and it changed my perspective immediately. I’m so convicted over these feelings, because it’s stupid not to make memories over something so trivial. Also, Ella is having two friends over tonight and our house has never been so clean, but the upstairs looks almost exactly like it did yesterday.
This weekend, I’m working on editing a ton of photos and videos from the last few weeks, so look for May’s blog schedule to be pretty full. Any of these you’d like to see first?
- Sophie’s Birthday Recap (American Girl Store & Father Daughter Dance)
- Polly’s 8th Month Update
- Little Things Vlog for March & April
- House Tour and Master “To Do” List
- Tidying Up for March & April
- Aventura Unboxing Video
- Three Favorite Aventura Dresses for Spring & Summer
- April’s Amazon Haul (it’s a big one)
- Polly’s Six Month Photographs
- Our Breastfeeding Journey
- Books I Read in March & April
If you love these sandals from Nordstrom, then you should just order this version from The Shoe Dept., because they are less than half the price. They are the same brand and almost identical (although they come in fewer color options), so I’m not sure why the price discrepancy is so large. I bought the black ones for Ella last week and had such immediate regret, that I went back thirty minutes later and bought myself the gold ones. Since then, two other family members have snagged a pair. They are super comfy and adorable with everything.
![Hello, Friday [April 26, 2019]](https://www.tazandbelly.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/8CFC0481-221B-48B3-84F8-A27511691510-150x150.jpg)
