Vivian Kate | 12 months

 Sweet Vivi,
I cannot believe you are one year old. Time is such a thief! I feel like you were born just yesterday. Without a doubt the quickest year of my life. You have made our lives 100x richer. I thank God for you every day. I can't wait to continue to watch you grow!

Weight

24lb 15oz. Chunk!

Sleep

Consistently sleeps 7pm-6am. Still taking two naps a day, usually 8:30-10am and 1:30-3:15pm or so. Sometimes longer naps, sometimes shorter. I know eventually I should drop her morning nap and transition to one longer afternoon nap but she is definitely not ready yet. She is just dying to get in her crib for her morning nap, I don't see her being ready to drop that any time soon. We will see!

She is such a creature of habit. Her bedtime routine is dinner at 5:30pm then bath, play and read for a while then bottle and bed at 7pm. She has started not wanting to rock and snuggle after her bottle, she is just ready to get in her crib which makes me SO sad. She is definitely growing up ugh.

Eat

This girl loves to eat like her momma! She has just recently started to become a little bit picky which is frustrating because she used to eat anything and everything. It basically depends on her mood how picky she will be at dinner time. Give her cut up green beans on her tray and they go straight to the dog but in a pouch she will devour them. I am making all your pouches and you are obsessed with them. It is such an easy way for you to get lots of good veggies. Your favorite foods are cheese, turkey, ham, all fruits, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, yogurt.

You are drinking whole milk now and you seem to like it just fine. You get 3 sippy cups of milk a day... 7am, 11am, 4pm and then a bottle of milk before bed. I am letting you have your bottle for just another week or two then bye bye bottles. Sad because I love that time rocking you before bed but bottles are bad for your teeth and need to go at age 1!

Likes
You looove being outside. Whether its going on a walk, wagon ride, playing in the yard or just exploring, you are so happy outside. You have just recently started paying so much attention to your furry dog sister. You love patting her and laying (falling) on her. She tolerates you but I wouldn't say she's your biggest fan. You love your cousin Ella James and light up when she walks in the room.

Dislikes
You hate riding in the car now which is torture. You also hate getting dressed. You refuse to eat scrambled eggs which just baffles me.

Milestones and Memories
Not a ton of new milestones this month. You are walking ALL over the place which has been a game changer. If I take my eye off of you for one second, the entire house will be destroyed. You walk straight to the dog's water bowl to splash and spill it. You have developed such a [strong] little personality and you are very vocal about what you want. You will hold your hand out and point to show us what you want. You still have 5 teeth, two on the top and three on the bottom. You love waving, blowing kisses, and dancing. 

Vivi's birthday weekend!

We had the best and busiest weekend ever! Friday was Vivi's birthday! She was extra excited to start her day bright and early at 5:30am (sleepy emoji) but we went with it because hey, it's her birthday and she can do what she wants. We threw some balloons in her crib and she absolutely loved that. It was so cute! She got an extra special birthday donut for breakfast. She has never really had any sweets so she was literally like a kid in a candy shop. She crushed the entire thing and she totally got her love of donuts from her momma.

Friday afternoon the UNC tarheels were in town playing ECU so we went to the game for a little bit to see Garrett's old coaches and cheer for our heels. Then we met some friends for pizza and beer. The weather was absolutely perfect all weekend!

 Saturday we were up bright and early to get ready for her birthday party! A few months ago I promised myself it was going to be a simple, small party and I totally ate my words. We ended up having about 40 people and I spent a lot more money than I planned on but we had the best time ever so it was totally worth it! All Vivi's cousins were there and she was so interested in everything and loved all the activity. We had a photographer which was the best decision ever.. I never once looked at my phone and I got to be fully present without having to worry about taking pictures. A detailed birthday party post to come once I get pictures back!

Right after Vivi's party I went to a baby shower for a dear friend and her precious baby boy who we have been praying for for years! She is an IVF momma and after many unsuccessful attempts, they are finally pregnant with a miracle boy. She went to our same fertility clinic and used our same doctor so I am just over the moon for them.

Saturday night we rallied through the exhaustion and went to dinner with my best friend Kate (where Vivi got her middle name!) and her family. She traveled 4 hours from Charlotte to be there for Vivi's birthday... best friend ever! We left Vivi home with a babysitter, she was exhausted after a full day of fun. After dinner we went to a new brewery downtown then home to crash, I was dead tired.

Sunday I was up bright and early again to ride 2 hours west with my momma to pick up her new puppy! Her dog died in October and it was so hard for her. Her new puppy Gypsy is a labradoodle and oh my gosh that sweetest thing ever. I am so happy for my mom and I know Gypsy will be the best companion for her. We spent the day snuggling the new puppy and trying to keep Vivi from suffocating her. That girl is obsessed with dogs!

 Shew I need another weekend to recover! 

My baby girl is ONE!

Today my precious baby girl turns ONE!

One year ago, after 50 hours of labor and an urgent C-section, you entered this world and our lives. Your birth was not what I expected, and a lot of this past year was not what I expected. I didn't expect to love you so much that it hurts. I didn't expect you to rock our worlds and for us to be completely ok with it.

You were not an easy baby. You didn't sleep longer than an hour for the first month of your life. There were tears and frustration and so much learning. We finally figured each other out and you became more content and happy. Your personality developed and I fell more in love with you every day. Now you are the sweetest baby girl with the funniest personality. You are loud and silly and impatient and stubborn. I see parts of both me and your daddy in you.

You are proof of God's promises and perfect timing. Our struggle with infertility was such a blessing in disguise. It has made me more patient with you, more thankful for the mundane days, and grateful for every single part of being your mommy. You were so very wanted and prayed for. Every night I pray that you will grow healthy and have a kind heart. 365 days of being your mommy and I can't imagine life before you. Happy birthday, Vivian Kate Davis! 

Balsamic chicken

Today I'm sharing one of our favorite weeknight dinners. It is super easy and healthy. Pictures aren't the prettiest but yummy meals don't always look pretty, right? I am always looking for new ways to cook chicken and figured you may be too. We serve this over rice and it is so yummy!

Balsamic Chicken

Ingredients:

-Raw chicken breasts (we usually use 6 for leftovers)

-A few handfuls of spinach

-Cherry tomatoes

-1 cup mozzarella cheese

-1/2 balsamic vinegar

-Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350*

-Cover the bottom of a baking dish with a few handfuls of spinach

-Place raw chicken breasts on top of spinach

-Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste

-Cut tomatoes in half and place on chicken

-Sprinkle cheese on top

-Pour balsamic vinegar evenly overtop

-Cook in oven for about 25 minutes or until chicken is done

-Serve over rice

Grab the button below and link up to Annie , Natalie and Owen on your Thoughts for Thursday post.

Use #thoughtsforthursdays on Instagram and tag us @homeofmalones , @eastcoastnat and @mrsordavis. Link up starts at 7 am EST.

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Recent Reads

I have been struggling to get through books lately. Life has been so busy that I crash right when I get in bed. However I am always looking for new good book recs so if you've read any good ones recently, let me know in the comments!

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THE WEEKENDERS

By Mary Kay Andrews

An entertaining book about Riley Griggs and her summer weekend trips to their beach house. Her life turns upside down when her husband goes missing and she realizes he is not who she thought he was. She and her island friends attempt to investigate the scandals and secrets of her life and marriage. Such a great read! I give this book 5/5 stars.

SICK GIRL

By Amy Silverstein

At 24 years old she was a law student with a new boyfriend and her world changed in an instant when she was diagnosed with heart failure. This book is written about her journey through a heart transplant and all the treatments associated with it. I enjoyed this book but if you are not at all interested in medicine or medical terminology, you may want to skip this one. I give this book 3/5 stars.

THE MAGIC OF MOTHERHOOD

By Ashlee Gadd

Calling all mamas! This is a must read! A super easy read that reminds you that you aren't alone in this crazy journey known as motherhood. Filled with essays about body image, identity, infertility and sleeplessness, you will find yourself laughing (and even crying) while reading this book. Do yourself a favor and purchase it now! I give this book 5/5 stars. I highly recommend! 

How to make baby food pouches

When I was pregnant I saw so many posts about making baby food purees. I decided I would attempt to make Vivian's baby food and so far I have made all of it (besides finger foods of course). I have truly enjoyed making her food and she loves it too! You can ready about how I make her pureed baby food here. Not only do I know exactly what is in the foods she is eating but it also saves money. Now I know this won't last forever... it is time consuming and I likely won't have time once we have another little but for now I love doing it. We started purees when she was about 5.5 months old and as she got older I started to mix things. About 2 months ago I started making pouches so that we could pack them when we leave home and also because it's so much easier to mix lots of different fruits and veggies.

Step 1:

You will need to purchase this Infantino Squeeze Station. It also comes with 10 pouches. I knew I'd need a lot more than that so I also purchased this pack of extra pouches.

Step 2:

Wash, peel and chop your fruits and veggies. I use all organic fruits and veggies but use whatever your prefer. For this batch of patches I did butternut squash, carrots, apples and spinach. I had no idea how to cook butternut squash before I started making baby food but now I feel like a pro. Peel the outside of it then cut the 2 ends off. Cut it in half from top to bottom and scoop out the seeds just like you would a pumpkin. Then chop into cubes.

Step 3:

Steam or boil your fruits and veggies. I use this steamer insert and steam the fruits/veggies over a pot of boiling water. Steam until they are easily pierced with a fork, usually about 20 minutes.

Step 4:

Combine equal parts of desired fruits and veggies into blender. I usually always throw a few handfuls of spinach in because you can't taste it so might as well right? Then I put some of the boiling water from the steaming pot into the blender to wilt the spinach. Blend until pureed. Keep adding water until at desired consistency. You want it pretty thin, almost the consistency of applesauce.

Step 5:

Label your pouches. I always write the date as well as the contents on them.

Step 6:

Set up your squeeze station with pouches, fill your tubes, and press into the pouches. So easy! Then put the cap on and into the freezer they go. I pull a few out at a time and let them thaw in the fridge. They are good in the fridge for about 3 days.

So lets do the math and see what I saved. The actual pouches from Amazon cost $0.30 each. I made 23 pouches so that's $6.90 spent on the actual pouches. I paid $17.86 for all the organic fruit and vegetables for this batch. That's $24.76 total, or $1.07 for each pouch. In stores, organic pouches cost $1.69 each so I am saving $0.62 on each pouch, or a total savings of $14.26 on this batch of pouches! So yes, you do have to spend $20 to buy the squeeze station but you basically make up for it after making one batch.

Some of the combinations I have made:

-Butternut squash, carrots, apples and spinach

-Mango, butternut squash, spinach

-Apples and pears

-Sweet potatoes, carrots and spinach

-Peas, spinach, pears

You can mix anything! Get creative! If your little one isn't crazy about veggies, throw in a little bit of apples or pears to make the veggies sweet. A little bit of fruit goes a long way and I guarantee they will love it! Happy cooking :)

Grab the button below and link up to Annie, Natalie and Owen on your Thoughts for Thursday post.

Use #thoughtsforthursdays on Instagram and tag us @homeofmalones , @eastcoastnat and @mrsordavis. Link up starts at 7 am EST.

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Home of Malones and East Coast Chic and Davis Duo

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Weekending a day late...

We had such a busy and productive weekend. We started off the weekend with a huge basketball win against Duke on Thursday night. We are Tarheels through and through and Vivi has no choice but to attend UNC for college ;)

Friday we spent the day running errands and getting things done for our move. Did I tell y'all we bought a house?! We weren't planning to move until the fall but we couldn't pass this house up... more to come on this later. Needless to say we are scrambling to get our house ready to hopefully go on the market Friday. A sneak peak at our new house!

Friday night my whole family went to a local burger spot which is right in the middle of ECU campus. Vivi loved staring at all the college students drinking beer ha!

Saturday was spent doing projects around our house... new pinestraw, pressure washing the outside, painting over spots on walls, packing boxes, etc. etc. It's crazy how stressful it is to get your house prepared to show. We also pulled the trigger on a new sectional couch. I am so excited about it but my wallet, not so much. Why is furniture so dang expensive??

Saturday night we took a break and met my dad for drinks and dinner. Vivi was a doll which made it so much more relaxing. If you're a parent you definitely understand that dinners out can be hit or miss with kids.

Sunday we drove to my in-laws for the day to celebrate my FIL's birthday. They live on a farm and Vivi absolutely loves the horse and donkey. They look and sound exactly like her farm book and she acts like such a ham when she sees them, it's adorable!

I hope everyone is having a great week! One day closer to Friday!