Thursday, August 25, 2011

Starting Solid Foods

Wow hard to believe that my boy is going to be 6 months old in a matter of days. I could never imagine how fast 6 months could go by. I can not believe that we will be starting solid foods in a few days. I stood my ground with when to start him on solids. Everyone kept asking me what he was eating and to which I would reply " breast milk" and then they would reply "He's still only on breast milk"." He should be eating solids already". "He will sleep through the night"" . "He wont be so skinny." " I did it with my children".

It's even harder when you husband is nervous that your little one is not eating enough and wondering if this child will ever sleep through the night.

I was following my gut, my mother's instincts to know when he was ready and now I think he just about is.

Well there are many reasons I made the decision to wait until he was 6 months old to start solids.

1. The risk of allergies is lower in babies who started solids after 6 months.
2. Babies are not developmentally ready to eat solids until this time . The muscles in their throats have not fully developed until about 4 months. They will push solids out because they still have the extrusion reflex.( I want my son to be ready when he is ready).
3.Starting solids early has been associated later on in life with asthma, obesity and other problems.
4. Starting solids too early can make your breast milk production decrease.
5. Your baby will not sleep through the night because they have started solid foods.
6. Babies digestive systems not ready for solids before 4 months.

You can read more about this in a wonderful book. Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. I highly reccomend this book to all parents.
Another great baby food book I picked up is -The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet: Know What Goes Into Every Bite with More Than 200 of the Most Deliciously Nutritious Homemade Baby Food ... More Than 60 Purees Your Baby Will Love-by Karin Knight.

Right now my dilemna is what to use to puree his food. I am trying to compile all the supplies I will need this week to get me started with this new adventure.
 There are many different options out there. The first one I have looked into was the Baby Beabea Babycook. It looks like a great product, but it is very costly. It also doesn't seem like a big enough container to do batch cooking in.Beaba-Babycook-the-Baby-Food-Maker-01

I was also looking into the Baby Bullet. I like all that it comes with and looks super easy and convient, but it also doesn't look it will last very long.


I was also looking through all of the other baby food processors, but they just seem cheap and too small for batch cooking. I then started to look for just a food processor, but there are not too many made BPA Free.
The only thing I have found so far that I am thinking of giving a try is this



It retails for around $45.00. I am not sure how good it will be, but thought I could use it for other things later on. I was also going to get an immersion blender to just puree the vegetables and fruits right in the pot.
I think I will start with this and see how it works out.

My next dilema was then after I freeze the puree in his BPA Free trays,  I was going to transfer cubes to ziploc bags. Then started to think about this. Are ziploc bags BPA Free? This would defeat the whole purpose. I was online for hours researching all this and read that Glad freezer bags are supposed to be BPA Free.  I would still like to look into this a little more.

I am excited to start this new adventure with my baby, but with it brings many questions. I didn't think starting solids would be this confusing. I guess we will figure it out one step at a time, just like we did with the breastfeeding,  cloth diapers, etc.



Thursday, August 18, 2011

My Garden

A girl can dream can't she......
I don't know the first thing about having a garden, but boy do I sure want one. Maybe when I move to my dream home in the country, then I can start my homesteading dream. My dream is to one day be self sustaining. Growing my own vegetables, having chickens, making my own clothes, preserving my food. Who knows a girl can dream...................





Thursday, August 11, 2011

Weekly Rhythm

I thought I would join along with sharing my weekly rhythm with you all. This is inpsired by many other great blogs I have been reading lately frontierdreams.blogspot.com and crunchycatholicmama.blogspot.com

As of right now my little one is only 5 months so of course this will grow and evolve and change many times, but for right now this is what I am trying to implement in my home. I am not only doing this for his benefit, but also for mine. It seems that the weeks run smoother when we stick to this plan.

Monday-Quiet day at home after a busy weekend. We will usually take a morning walk after first nap and an evening walk as a family right after dinner. Eventually I hope to add in bake bread day.

Tuesday-The day we spend outside of the home doing errands, going to the park, meeting up with friends. Quiet evening walk. Sewing night for me.

Wednesday-  Quiet day at home. We may walk over to our local library to pick up some books. Little guy's laundry day. This is the night my husband gets to work on his stuff.

Thursday- Quiet day at home. Little one morning walk with me. This is the night I work, so my husband spends quality time with the little one. He takes him on an evening walk.

Friday- This is the day we clean the house and do family laundry. Evening walk as a family. This is my night to spend with my husband, to watch a movie.

Saturday- Grocery shopping all together. Evening walk. Night together as a family.

Sunday- Family day. I am striving here for no internet and no tv, but not having much luck. This is when we typically visit family, or go to the park, or the beach. This is the day to just spend together.

Well there you have it. What my weekly rhythm looks like right now.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

A positive outlook

I cant believe I have been a mom for 5 months now. I carried this little being in me for 9 months and then pushed him out into this scary world. In the womb he was safe and sound. He didn't yet have to experience the harshness of this world.  I hope for his sake that things will change and that this world will become a much more positive place. I hope to raise him with a happy, positive outlook on life despite the fact that he has a very pessimistic mother.

My heart melts for this little boy of mine every time he smiles at me. His laughter can pick me up when I am feeling down. I love him so much even at 2 am when he is screaming and cannot sleep. I may get upset for a moment, but then realize that he is too small to tell me what is wrong and that this too shall pass.

Being a mom has changed me already. It has made me look at myself and life a lot differently. I feel like I have grown and matured, but have still kept my childish spirit, which helps me relate so well to him.

When I look at my son I realize that I have to be positive and strong, because he is looking up to me. He is watching me and taking in everything I do. There has been times when in certain situations I would like to say something not so nice, but then I remember I am a mom to a son, who is absorbing everything I do into his inner being. I want him to grow up to enjoy life, to be positive and happy, not to be bitter and angry (like his mother).  I really do need to work on changing my outlook on life. I would like to be optismistic instead of so pessimistic. I have tried to change , but there are days when it seems very hard to be positive. All I have to do to remember to be positive, is to look at my boy's innocent face. A face of wonder and knowing. He knows only positive. He knows only happiness and joy. Just looking at him helps me to remain positive for his sake.

There will come a day when things will not always be so bright and cheerful. There will be hurt and tears and anger. For now though while he is young I can make his days positive and happy ones, so maybe when he grows up he can look back on these times and remember. They will be engraved into his heart and soul forever.

Monday, August 8, 2011

You're 5 months today and Make it Monday...

   Everyday you are growing and discovering new things. You are learning all about your new world and taking it in slowly a bit at a time. You are an observer to say the least. One day you are going to burst out of that little shell full of knowledge. Who will you become little one..... I am starting to see the beginning of a little person emerging and I like who I see.




You are 26 in tall/ you weigh 13lb 10oz/your hair is getting red highlights/you have eyes just like your daddy for now/you met your uncle for the first time time last month/you dont like to sleep at night/you still like to sleep in mommy and daddy's room/everytime i put you on your belly you roll right to your back/you're still a very fast eater/ you still have clogged tear ducts/you know enjoy playing with your toys, especially the ones that make noise/you try to strum daddys guitars/you like listening to the wind chimes on the patio/you like going to joann fabrics(thank goodness),you like to face out in the moby wrap to see what's going on/ you still fall asleep in the moby wrap close to mommys heart/you went swimming in the pool for the first time and loved it/ you had your first somewhat sleep over at uncle joes house only until midnite/you sit soo quietly while we eat dinner/ you are always smiling and happy/people always stop me to say how beautiful and smart you look/you like to suck your thumb/you love when daddy does impersonations for you/ you like bathtime with daddy/you like to drink water from mommy's cup and you do a rather good job with it/ you look so cute in seersucker pants and a polo/ you keep your hats on/ you like to watch mommy sew/you are mesmorized by mommy when she puts on her belly dance costumes/you sometimes get impatient and want to be held a lot/ you like to hear grandma and grandpa's voice on the phone/you are going to go on the airplane for the first time next month/you are now a little ticklish on your sides/we love your belly laughs/ you love to stare at things for a long time/ you only like to be in the ergo carrier for short bits at a time/ you melt mommy and daddy's heart everyday. even when you have us up at 3 am screaming.





We will always love you and be there for you and support you in whatever you choose to do with life. You make me so proud to call you my son. We love you soooo much. Happy 5 month birthday.



Make it Monday.

Just wanted to include make it monday in this post seeing that little D is wearing his big butt pants by made-by-rae.com. The pattern can be purchased on her website. These pants are super easy to sew up after you make them one time. This first time can be tricky but gets easy. They are so cute and perfect for that cloth diapered bum. Great job Rae.


(love the pose he gave me)






Monday, August 1, 2011

Make it Monday...

Thought I would start a new series called Make it Monday. It will include recipes I have tried, craft projects and things that I have been making. Well today I would like to feature a recipe I tried this weekend while visiting my brother. It was quick and delicious.

Creamy Chicken Fettucine









Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1cup heavy cream or more if you like
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest and 2 tablespoons juice from lemon
1 lb fettucine
2 cups frozen peas
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese.
1 cup chopped fresh basil

1. Bring 4 qts water to a boil in large pot. Pat chicken dry with paper towl and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink inside. Transfer to plate.

2. Add garlic to empty skillet and cook until fragrant. Add cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice and simmer until sauce thickens 3-5 mins. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

3. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta to boiling water cook until al dente.  Add peas to pot and cook until bright green. Reserve cooking water. Drain pasta and peas and return to pot. Add sauce, cheese, basil and reserved chicken to pot and toss to combine. Add reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

I found this recipe in a back issue of cooks country magazine.

and just a few photos from our Saturday spent with my brother.


Little D and Uncle Jo Jo


Little D's second time in the pool. He loves the water

Be back later this week. Have a great Monday