While we were in Roanoke for Thanksgiving, we decided to take advantage of having so many friends in town for the holiday and threw Sophie a little first birthday party at my mom’s place. We were so touched by how many people took time out of their holiday weekend to celebrate with us—our friends Corri, Caroline, and Shawna even drove three hours each way in freezing rain to attend (some with babies, some with the birthday cake).

It was simple but sweet and so incredibly wonderful to get everyone together. Sophie had so much fun/wore herself out so much that she still managed to take her afternoon nap before returning downstairs to party some more.

As usual, Minted was kind enough to provide us with invitations and decorations. I bought some balloons at the grocery store and that was that! We ordered cookies and cake from Suárez Bakery in Charlotte, and my mom and I made the rest of the food—turkey wraps, ham and cheese sandwiches, chicken salad with croissants, Buffalo chicken dip, spinach artichoke dip, and plenty of fruit, veggies, and crackers.

It was incredible and slightly bizarre to see so many of my best girlfriends at once—we pretty much all had babies in the last year and having them there was so fun. We’re all pretty spread out and we stay busy so having everyone together was a treat.

The younger babies snoozed and the older ones played together a little with some blocks and puzzles my mom saved from when Sean and I were little.

And then of course we all had cake.

Photos by my friend Sarah of Photo Love.

Dear Sophie,

A year ago today after the longest weekend of my life, you were placed onto my chest and your dad and I looked at you and then each other with tears in our eyes. It was early on a Tuesday morning, and after a few hours of recovery I held you in my arms as they wheeled us from Labor & Delivery to Maternity. Your dad got under the blankets on the cot next to me and fell asleep as the nurses swaddled you and placed you at the foot of my bed and I couldn’t believe it was my family, together for the first time, settling in for a well-deserved nap. I haven’t gone to bed since Saturday, I thought to myself before finally falling asleep.

At the risk of sounding super cliche, I really can’t believe we’re here. 365 days went by in a flash. When you were a newborn there were so many late nights and early mornings and rock-hard boobs and 4PM meltdowns that seemed as though they may never end, and now here we are with a toddler in what seemed like a blink of an eye.

But there were also morning snuggles and the joy of holding you as  you fell asleep and then later slowly woke up those first weeks of our time together—the squeaky little newborn sounds you made and your first real smile.

I could go on and on but I won’t because of all the things you’ve taught me these past twelve months, it’s to be more present and to hold tight to every single moment.

Happy birthday, my dear. We love you so very much.

Yours forever,

Mama

We started feeding Sophie solids when she was about 5 months old (and by "started" I really mean we gave her 1/4 of a teaspoon of avocado one time). I was excited and really nervous to start solids--I love food and looked forward to sitting at the table with her to eat, but the thought of allergies and choking really freaked me out. 

Before we had a baby I really wanted to do baby led weaning, so we gave her little bits of avocado and banana for a few weeks until she got used to chewing. She would occasionally get too much and gag, which is normal, but having that be our first experience with food really freaked me out and I decided to introduce some purees instead. One of the most liberating things I've learned so far as a parent is that almost nothing has to be all or nothing (whether it's BLW and purees or cloth diapering or formula and breastfeeding or a nanny or daycare)--you can come up with a combination that works for you and your family.

I really don't have any wisdom or expertise regarding starting solids, I just know that I felt more nervous than excited about it, so I read a lot and really enjoyed hearing other people's experiences about what foods they did first, how they prepared them, etc. So I wanted to put together a post with our experience so far! Sophie is a great eater and really seems to like everything we've given her so far. Sometimes it takes a few days for her to decide she likes something (I had to mix shredded chicken with strawberries a couple times before she'd eat it by itself), but she enjoys eating and has already gotten pretty good at feeding herself.

Foods We've Tried So Far:

• Avocado
• Banana
• Sweet potato
• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Zucchini  
• Squash
• Eggs
• Plums
• Apples
• Watermelon
• White beans
• Mango
• Peanut butter
• Yogurt (whole milk, no sugar added)
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Chicken
• PUFFS! She loves them and man are they easy. (We get these ones.)

Preparations:

• I serve almost all of these foods steamed or lightly boiled--I just simmer a couple inches of water in a small pot and cook for 8-10 minutes, then puree it in our blender. 
  • Now that she's gotten the hang of chewing and swallowing, I chop, dice, or smash the food instead of pureeing it, and instead of feeding it to her on a spoon I put it down on the tray for her. Sweet potatoes get sliced into long thin pieces so she can easily grab them, and I just smash blueberries with my fingers before I hand them over. 
• I thin peanut butter out with about half an ounce of breastmilk, but you could use formula or water. I just didn't want it to be too thick for her to swallow--the handout our doctor gave us mentioned that peanut butter could be a choking hazard if it's not thinned out.
• We've used cinnamon (on sweet potatoes and in a white bean puree) and lime juice (on avocados) so far for seasoning, but we haven't gotten too into other herbs or spices yet. You'll read that they shouldn't have salt yet, so her food is pretty bland.
• I was making all of my own purees before we moved in the middle of July and then I started buying the pouches from the grocery store and I love having a few in our bag that we can use in a pinch. She's not really eating purees anymore but I think I'll keep a few on hand for travel and days when I'm feeling lazy. It's weird having to cook for her after being able to feed her exclusively with my boobs for months and months, but I do love it.

Foods I Want to Try Next:

• Fish
• Beef
• More beans
• Pasta
• Toast
• Rice
• Cottage cheese
• Tofu
• More, different fruits and veggies--any suggestions?
• Eggs (again)
  • She ate eggs for almost a month with no problems, then one day she threw up pretty violently about 4 hours after having them. The next day the same thing happened, so I waited a week and tried again. Sure enough about 4-6 hours later she was puking again. We took her to the pediatrician and he said to wait a few more weeks, even a month, and try again. That was a month ago and I still haven't gathered the courage to try again. Lots of people wrote to me when I shared about it on Instagram and said their babies couldn't tolerate eggs until they were about a year and a half--has anyone else had that experience? I want to try again one more time before her 9 month check-up because our doctor said we could talk to an allergist if they're still making her sick.

Products We're Loving:

• I use these bowls and lids when I'm putting together meals for Sophie (then I take a little at a time and put it on her tray).
• This silicone ice cube mold was perfect when we were doing purees. You can also use it for freezing smaller amounts of breastmilk!
• I've had these jars forever but I like them a lot for storing Sophie's food after I've cooked it. I also can't get enough of these reusable bags.

Like I said, I'm no expert but I do think taking it slow and introducing foods at your own pace is key to making the experience a good one. We never push food on Sophie and I remind myself constantly that breastmilk is still her main source of nourishment for a few more months. Food before one is just for fun, as they say, and I think that can definitely be true. I love food so much so I have been really enjoying sitting down with her a few times a day and enjoying a snack together.

I think that's all for now, let me know if you have any questions! Thanks to everyone who submitted a question on Instagram, I answered all of those on Wednesday night (I never know if I should keep highlights or not for Stories--if you have an opinion one way or the other let me know! It's easy enough to save them so you can go back and view them again later.)

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