Flynn's 1st Fourth

Our Fourth of July was  tame compared to those of years past. Having a baby doesn't make events less fun, it just makes them different. For example, instead of lounging around with a beer in my hand, I was vigilantly applying sunscreen to Flynn and constantly checking his swim diaper to see if he went poopy. 

Even though you give birth to a baby, it still doesn't dawn on you that you're a mom until you're faced with certain tasks, like taking a baby to a pool. I drank 1/2 of a Miller Lite, but it's really not that enjoyable to drink when you're the one responsible for keeping someone from drowning.

[After the pool... exhausted]

We didn't make it to any professional fireworks displays this year (Flynn goes to bed at 8pm) so we enjoyed some surprisingly loud & awesome fireworks at my brother's house. Well, they weren't enjoyed by everyone...

My poor babe! He was absolutely terrified, which he expressed through screaming, kicking frantically & grabbing his Dad's shirt.  (And what did I do? Instagrammed it. I'm so awful). 

After a few, he got used to them and watched quietly.

Then, we left early and all went to bed.

The end.

Over the Weekend...

Some highlights from the weekend, which mainly consisted of doing things around the house, errands & trying to stay cool without A/C. 

We have A/C... I'm just very stubborn about using it :-)

["Sleeping" in on Saturday morning]

[One hundred apples + one thousand hours in the crock pot = homemade apple butter]

[Mastering the art of sitting]

[Indy climbing on the couch like a cat]

[Flynn's toys, officially relocated to the living room for easy access]

Now on to another work week (with Wednesday off, thank goodness).

40 days

Flynn is starting to show an interest in solid foods and it's the cutest thing. We have him eat with us at the kitchen table during dinner (he sits in his bumbo seat) and he thinks the sight of us chewing is hilarious. He also loves when we make silly, loud chewing noises. Just recently, we noticed him opening his mouth and leaning forward... almost as if he's trying to take a bite of our food. But as much as we can't wait for him to try solids, we are holding off until he is absolutely ready. We'd also like him to be able to sit up on his own first.

The AAP now recommends waiting to start solids until 6 months of age, and I actually agree with them on this topic. So until May 6th (or for 40 more days), he will only be getting breast milk. Then, let the games begin! I am beyond excited to give him real food. Sweet potatoes, avocado, squash, egg yolk, banana... I can't wait to see his precious little eyes light up when he discovers that there is more to this world than just Mommy's milk! Cue the Aladdin song... a whole new worrrrrrld.

We received this book at Flynn's baby shower. It looks awesome!

Of course, I can't do anything the "normal" way, can I? I am interested in baby-led weaning, but need to read more about it. We are also skipping white rice cereal and going straight to more nutritious grub, like sweet potato and avocado. I just can't get on board with the idea of feeding Flynn a simple carb as his first food. What's the point? If it's not really that great for adults, it's probably not that great for babies. I will add oats & brown rice to his diet a little later.

Then there is the whole organic issue. I've always heard of the "dirty dozen" when it comes to selecting organic v. non organic produce, but now that I'm going to introduce it to my little baby's pristine digestive system, I can't stand the thought of feeding him pesticides. This website has the whole list of best & worst produce as far as pesticide contamination is concerned. Preview: Apples = the worst; Onions = not so bad; Oranges = right in the middle.

Growing up, I was always annoyed that my Mom wouldn't buy sugary cereals, like Lucky Charms. And now just look what I'm doing! Gah. I am my mother after all. If Flynn is anything like me, he'll love sleeping over at his friend's houses and eating their cereal. And if he's anything like my husband, he'll like Kool Aid. And have a full beard at age 14.

<3 Meg

P.S. - You can read more about why we're skipping traditional rice cereal here.

Wedding Photos, Part I

Half of our wedding photos are here!

Enjoy this little slideshow, or go to my Picasa page.

Now I know my ABC's

I stole this from someone else's blog... feel free to steal it from mine! This is what happens on Mondays when I can't think.

(A) Age - 26 and dreading 27, 28, 29, etc.

(B) Bed Size - Queen, but my husband and I probably need separate beds like Mr. & Mrs. Costanza. He's a blanket stealer and I make chewing noises in my sleep (allegedly).

(C) Chore You Hate - I'd rather forego the dishwasher after a large dinner party than clean the shower and bathtub.

(D) Dogs? - Well, our new place allows dogs so we're probably getting a black lab! We want a nice dog that looks scary.

(E) Essential Start to Your Day - Shower, vitamins, kiss from Tim, healthy breakfast, birds chirping (preferably)

(F) Favorite Color - Black

(G) Gold or Silver - White Gold (I'm racist against yellow gold)

(H) Height - 5'3 (short enough to have to hem all my pants, but still taller than my 6-year-old niece)

(I) Instruments - I played the piano for years, and we are finally taking the piano at my parent's house (a/k/a my piano) to our new place!

(J) Job Title - Paralegal (although I do 10,000  other things, including catching stink bugs and keeping my bosses up to date with pop culture)

(K) Kids - Not yetttttt :-)

(L) Living - is pretty rad

(M) Mom’s Name - Marcia (Mar-sha not Mar-cee-a)

(N) Nickname - Meg, Taylor, Meggers, Meggie, MT

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays - Only 1, for a lady problem that I'd rather not go into detail about! Just know that 10pm ER visits on a Saturday night are QUITE entertaining.

(P) Pet Peeve - Bad drivers, Opportunistic people, Loud chewing sounds (probably like the ones I do in my sleep)

(Q) Quote from a Movie - "That Veronica Vaughn is one fine piece of ace." (Billy Madison)

(R) Right or Left Handed - Right. I am half-retarded when I use my left hand.

(S) Siblings - 2 older brothers who make fun of/look out for me.

(T) Time You Wake Up - 6:30... out the door by 8am. I use my time in the morning wisely so as to sleep as long as possible.

(U) Underwear - I can't resist the Victoria's Secret 5 for $25 undies.

(V) Vegetable You Dislike - Hmmm, this is a tough one. There are a lot that I haven't tried! Like brussel sprouts & that weird white asparagus. They are probably good though. I'm going to go with "I love all vegetables" and annoy everyone.

(W) What Makes You Run Late - Picking out something to wear!

(X) X-Rays - Are annoying... especially at the dentist... get those sharp plastic things out of my mouth!

(Y) Yummy Food You Make - I love mediterranean cooking... Tim loves my "shrimp, tomatoes & feta over cous cous"

 (Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal - I love the big kitty cats! They're friendly, right?

Birthday Dinner

My PA fam got together for a birthday celebration on Saturday night.

Happy Birthday, Eric & Amy!

Another year older, but still keepin' it gangsta.

Instead of birthday cake, we did birthday homemade chocolate ice cream.

So what if it's freezing cold outside? Ice cream is not just for the summer.

It's good all the time.

It was clearly a hit with these little ladies, too.

And these littler ladies.

I played Trouble with my nieces, Grace & Caroline, and I don't know what is with that game, but it takes FOREVER. We ended up declaring a three-way tie. Grace is growing up way too fast for my liking. At one point during the game she declared that something was "incredibly bad." She's 6. 

Then (since we were all trying to "pop" a 6 so we could move another piece out) she all decided we should put our hands in the middle on top of each other and shout "SIX!" 

And we did. Love it.

[My dad & Claire]

[Mediterranean goodness]